The old year is dead – embrace thrill of the new
Last year is gone: 2001 is dead, long live 2002. After all, 2001 wasn't the best year ever, so let's give a warm round of applause to the arrival of 12 new months.
Like getting a new hand in a game of cards, or a new exercise book at school, this is the chance to start again, to make resolutions for change and to stick to them. Change, however, is not always popular.
One key change already in 2002 has been the arrival of E-day, heralding the official introduction of the euro into 12 European Union member states. The fate of several major European currencies sentenced to death in the Maastricht treaty of 1991 is now known. Euro coins and notes are the latest booty for millions clamouring for them, like children and chocolate coins.
Like it or loathe it, project Europe is moving ahead, and not much is going to stop it. So how should the industry view this?
A currency has an iconic status. In some cases, that's a substitute for policy. Our economy is buoyant, more so than in many other parts of Europe, so why should we lose out at a time when sterling is strong, and interest rates and inflation are low?
On the other hand, to dismiss the euro is to potentially kiss goodbye to business from Europeans and raise the value of spending from overseas, both now and in the future - isn't it?
Clearly, the jury is still out as to whether a one-size euro will fit all, and to a large extent, with no history to draw on, the reaction has to be "wait and see".
But that shouldn't be an excuse for complacency. The writing is on the wall that, at the right time and under the right circumstances, Britain is likely to participate in the single currency. So now is the time to start preparing.
A good example to follow would be the one set by retailers. They are not succumbing to euro hysteria but are preparing for a steady build-up, introducing the technology now that will enable them to become euro-compliant at a later stage.
Operators also need to look at the level of business they achieve from Europe, to help them make sensible decisions about how much time and money they are prepared to invest in this process. After all, the message that your business is euro-friendly can be a valuable marketing tool.
Looking at the wider picture, project Europe is still in its infancy. The EU is set to gain 10 new member states by 2004, bringing the total population in the European community to 450 million people, 200 million more than in the USA, and a force to be taken seriously.
It would be a short-sighted person who would dismiss this powerful voice, although we should strongly resist any unnecessary red tape that stifles enterprise and limits job flexibility that might come about.
As for change, it doesn't always have to be so bad. The world is a constantly changing place - 2001 was the second-hottest year since 1860; the milk is not always in the same aisle in the supermarket each week, and the hospitality industry itself would not survive if it continued to produce the same menus all year round.
