10:00 - 10:05

Welcome

Speaker

James Stagg, editor, The Caterer

10:05 - 10:50

Keynote: The future of hospitality: clarity in an age of uncertainty

In an era of constant disruption, how can hospitality businesses move forward with clarity and confidence? This keynote will explore the future of technology in hospitality – cutting through the hype to focus on what will truly drive efficiency, empower teams and protect business performance in uncertain times. 

10:50 - 11:30

Panel: The best tech investment we made this year

In a climate where every investment is under scrutiny, how do operators decide what technology is truly worth backing? In this panel, hotel operators and IT directors share the best technology investment they’ve made in the past year – what drove the decision, how they secured buy-in and the impact it has delivered across their business. 

Join us in learning how to identify high-impact investments that deliver measurable ROI from the hoteliers rolling out the latest digital solutions. 

Moderator

James Stagg, editor, The Caterer

11:30 - 12:00

Networking break

12:00 - 12:25

Finding the right problems to solve: Turning frontline insights into real ROI

Retailer Holland & Barrett is known for its positive people culture, with a strong emphasis on colleague wellbeing, training and inclusion as part of its 150-year heritage. But when Nataly Quinn joined the business from digitally-savvy Argos six years ago, she quickly realised its technology decisions weren’t always aligned with its colleagues. Since then, she has put store colleagues at the heart of these decisions to create solutions workers actually need to be happier and more productive in their roles.  

Join this session to learn how stepping onto the shop floor – or hotel lobby – can drive meaningful change across a business. Learn how to gather frontline insights, validate which problems are worth solving, and collaborate effectively between tech teams and the business. Discover real examples where early input from teams shaped – or even stopped – initiatives, in order to ensure technology investments deliver ROI and boost productivity. 

Speaker

Nataly Quinn, head of change and tech adoption, Holland & Barrett 

12:25 - 12:40

Bridging the gap: Aligning teams for measurable impact 

Join two hoteliers with two very different roles as they explore how to build a truly effective partnership between technology and operations. While two different areas of hospitality don’t always understand each other, the way to communicate effectively is through one shared language in order to deliver the very best guest experience. 

This session will unpack how both sides can collaborate effectively and how to bridge the gap between IT and operations across the boardroom table.  

Speakers

Andrew Evers, vice-president of technology, Rocco Forte + guest, interviewed by Caroline Baldwin, deputy editor, The Caterer 

12:40 - 13:05

Winning your team over: how Pizza Pilgrims made tech stick

Two years ago, Pizza Pilgrims rolled out an AI chatbot called Joshua. The chatbot operates an interactive company handbook and HR management software that can respond to prompts and questions from team members, such as ‘how many days holiday do I have?’ or ‘tell me how to pronounce nduja?’. 

While the technology deployment was all about better engaging its employees, Pizza Pilgrims was conscious there would still be a learning curve to adopting a new piece of technology, not forgetting the culture shock of staff being encouraged to take their phones out of their pockets in front of guests.  

This session dives into practical strategies for driving tech adoption by employees, overcoming resistance and ensuring your investment truly benefits the people who use it every day. 

13:05 - 14:15

Lunch

14:15 - 14:55

Doing more with less

Doing more with less has become a defining challenge for hospitality businesses. This session will examine how smart, targeted technology investments can help operators boost productivity, empower teams and deliver measurable ROI – even in the toughest conditions. 

14:55 - 15:20

Fireside chat: Lessons from a cybersecurity attack

This candid conversation will explore the realities of overcoming a cybersecurity incident. The session will reflect on what happened, how the response unfolded and the key lessons learned in strengthening systems, protecting operations and safeguarding teams and guests. A practical discussion on building resilience and fostering a security-aware culture in an increasingly complex digital landscape. 

15:20 - 16:00  

Untangling the tech stack

Faced with a tangled web of systems, overlapping platforms and conflicting data, every hotel IT team’s worst nightmare is a messy tech stack.  

In this session learn how to streamline a complex technology ecosystem by cutting through the clutter to discover which tools actually drive results. From identifying overlapping platforms to making strategic decisions about which tools truly add value, this session highlights practical strategies for hotels struggling with a crowded tech stack to create an environment that works seamlessly for both staff and guests.  

16:00 - 16:05

Closing remarks

Speaker

James Stagg, editor, The Caterer