Is your team dressed for success?
For the second time, Caterer & Hotelkeeper is running the Best Dressed Organisation of the Year award in conjunction with the Career & Workwear Show, which is to be held at the Business Design Centre, London, on 7-9 October 1997.
Open to hotels, restaurants and food service companies, the competition will not only look for smart uniforms, but also at the way companies have benefited from them. Questions will be asked about the reasons behind the selection of the clothing, who supplies the uniform, and which staff wear it.
Key information about price, number of uniforms per person, cleaning, cost of cleaning and type of fabric used will also be considered.
The winning organisation will be presented with a specially designed trophy and certificate on the opening day of the Career & Workwear Show. Representatives from the winning organisation will be invited to a catwalk fashion show featuring entries in the 1997 British Clothing Industry Association's career and workwear design awards.
The panel of judges will include a buyer from a contract catering company, a buyer from a motorway service station group, and a representative of the Career & Workwear Show. Caterer will report the results and take a close-up look at the winning entry in the 2 October issue.
Previous winner of the award, two years ago, was the Country Club Hotel Group which commissioned De Baer Corporate Clothing to produce a corporate look flexible enough to be worn by employees covering all its departments - from food and beverage to maintenance and green-keeping.
"Fun and fashionable" is how the judges rated the Country Club Hotel Group's winning uniform. They liked the way the clothing presented a clear corporate identity, with staff looking sporty and relaxed.
The uniform was selected by the company after holding a fashion show of shortlisted designs before about 50 staff selected from all the hotels in the group. The resulting choice broke down barriers between staff, as everyone looks similar. To distinguish rank, supervisors wear a different coloured jacket and have their full name on their badge.
Also considered in the final were Henley Management College for a new uniform, supplied by Classy Rags, which aimed to make staff easily recognisable to course participants; and Principal Hotels for a uniform, supplied by Chaytow Corporate Clothing, designed to replace a "dowdy and shabby" one worn by reception staff.
If you think your organisation's uniform is a winner, enter the competition by phoning the Caterer & Hotelkeeper/Career & Workwear Show hotline - 0181-941 8000 - to ask for your entry pack.
Alternatively, complete the coupon on the left and post it to reach the address at the bottom by 7 August 1997.
