NFS Hospitality technology solutions

Running a conference is easy. Choose your subject, get some speakers together, find a venue, send out invitations and let the day take care of itself. That’s the way it might seem if you have been to a badly organised conference where boredom was the theme of the day.

The fact is that running a successful conference relies on meticulous planning, from venue choice to speakers, from travel details to the equipment needed, from catering to accommodation – all wrapped up in one neat, cost-effective package.

Here are ten take away tips for conference venue operators to pass on to clients organising events at their venues.

1. Think of a different way to present points. Make the environment attractive and distinctive. Give your delegates something to think about and take away with them.

2. Define your audience and design the programme to meet their needs. Canvas potential delegates and ask for suggestions about content.

3. Choose a convenient venue. Consider travelling arrangements, the nearest station, motorway proximity, ease of parking.

4. Start at a time convenient to those travelling long distances. Avoid school holidays.

5. Visit the venue in advance. Check its size, facilities for AV, wi-fi, broadband connection, accommodation and catering.

6. Ensure the venue is cost-effective. Don’t forget to include speakers’ fees in your costs. Consider sponsorship to offset expenses.

7. Give speakers plenty of time to prepare an effective presentation. Check that their presentation does not deviate from the conference theme.

8. Give delegates notice in advance with a mailshot. Detail the conference content, how to get to there, time of registration, what they need to bring. Ask about accommodation and dietary needs.

9. Arrive well before registration to check details and that all facilities are in place. Before the start, ensure each speaker has what he or she needs.

10. At the end of the conference, personally thank the speakers, the chairperson and, of course, the delegates for attending.

For more information about the latest technology behind successful conferences go to http://www.nfs-hospitality.com/rendezvousoverview.html

Generation Y, also known as the ‘Millennials’, born in the mid 1980s or later, are the fastest growing segment in today’s workforce. This is a generation that grew up around laptops, cell phones, smart phones and other gadgets. They are super-savvy about technology and rely on it to perform their jobs better, and in unconventional working environments. This generation is usually plugged in 24/7 and is therefore driving change in the workplace.

A recent collaborative research study by Mark Dixon of Regus and Phillip Ross of Cordless Group and UnWork.com, called ‘Vwork: Measuring the Benefits of Agility at Work’ identifies the three Vs – Virtual, adVantage and Value – that will define the benefits of mobile working as it emerges over the next decade. The white paper states that as ‘Virtuality’ gains ground, the benefits of mobility and creating a sound business case for changing the way we work will become essential.

Dixon & Ross’ research has shown that virtual,  ‘New Ways of Working’ are already being put into place. Around 62.5% of  the large organisations they surveyed have already rolled out new working methods, while only 8.5% of respondents reported that no programme was in place.  Virtual work is the response to the need for new working environments. The obvious expectation of the Millennial generation is that they will be able to embrace virtual working over the traditional office.

Aside from Generation Y growing up surrounded by technology, many factors play a key role in the new virtual world; the main ones being: travel time and cost reduction, wellbeing and stress, concentrated work with fewer distractions, work-life balance and the ability to work anywhere, at any time. This new generation also has a different view of workplace expectations and prioritizes family and lifestyle over physical presence in an office.

“Agility will explode when the next generation comes into the workplace and we need to be ready to ensure that those new members of the workforce can be truly creative and productive,” said Chris Kane,  Head of BBC Workplace, the division responsible for the BBC’s corporate property portfolio.

“We will continue to operate and change the estate. Our aim will be to ‘do fewer things, better’ and help the Operations Group lead the BBC in implementing new, simpler ways of working. We will continue to be mobile and flexible, but in a much greater way than today. We will be an agile One Workplace team.”

As new ways of working emerge on the global business landscape, is your organisation ready for Generation Y?

Do get in touch to discuss ways in which NFS could help you prepare for an increasingly virtual workplace. Our email is info@myrendezvous.net.

The public sector is currently in a state of flux as the UK government plans to push through over £95 billion worth of cuts over the next five years.

Within this political and economic context, it is imperative that councils find more ways to not only generate incremental revenue but also to instigate effective cost control, better resource management and streamlined operational management.

Many councils are generating additional revenue through hospitality and events, and in order to do so they need to have systems in place that enable them to capitalise on booking enquiries, effectively utilise their space, streamline their admin processes and manage their retail catering operations.

NFS have been providing solutions for the public sector for many years – primarily their Rendezvous scheduling software and Aloha point of sale software.

One recent scheduling software implementation was for Cardiff City Council, who have found that Rendezvous has delivered tremendous benefits – in some areas cutting admin time by 75%. Crucially, the system also gives them a competitive advantage as they now have the sales and marketing information they need to move forward.

Councils benefitting from our point of sale software include Cambridge City Council and Huntingdonshire County Council. Kudos Hospitality, the catering company for Cambridge City Council, have found that Aloha brings tremendous operational benefits; for example, they can now update menus across all their sites at the push of button. The solution is proven to work robustly in demanding environments such as the Cambridge Corn Exchange, where it’s vital that tills don’t fail during intermissions at live events.

If your organisation is looking to move forward with your events business then please contact us today.

In these uncertain economic times, the contract catering sector is facing a pincer movement on two fronts. On the one hand, customers are squeezing their profit margins as they struggle with increasingly tight budgets for corporate hospitality and catering services. On the other hand, catering companies are also facing the increasing food costs that are symptomatic of wider economic problems. Whilst food price increases in staples such as grains are widely reported, other commodities such as tea have risen in costs by as much as 30% over the last two years.

Faced with these challenges it has become even more imperative for catering companies to adopt a strategy where efficient management of resources and sales opportunities is at the forefront of driving down costs, increasing revenue and ultimately maximising profits. The events industry is overall still very lucrative. According to a recent report by the Business Visits & Events Partnership, the sector is now worth £36.1 billion and sustains at least 53,000 full-time equivalent jobs.

What can catering companies do to improve?

One of the fundamental things a catering company can do is introduce a software solution to replace inefficient manual processes and offer a streamlined approach, thus creating a culture of efficiency. One such solution is the Aloha point of sale software.

Aloha is being used by a number of leading UK catering companies, including Kudos Hospitality, operator of Cambridge Corn Exchange, The Brighton Centre and Northern Ballet. In addition to increasing speed of service at the point of sale, Aloha also offers new and unique ways of working, such as the integrated barista video monitor, for fool-proof coffee preparation.

In a fast-paced environment such as Cambridge Corn Exchange, a major concert venue in the historic city, it is imperative to ensure that, for example, interval food and drink requirements are delivered smoothly. But increasing the efficiency of F&B services is only part of the equation. Increasingly, it has become more and more important for catering companies to maximise their sales opportunities.

Kudos Hospitality’s use of centralised, multi-location technology is making them more efficient in many ways.

o They are able to generate more business and revenue both for themselves and their clients
o They have improved management processes and accountability
o They are able to offer better customer service

Point of sale software offers tremendous benefits to catering operators. In these difficult times, what else do you feel can be done to increase efficiency and profitability?

Did you know that if you were to search for “social media” on Google you would find no fewer than 624 million results? That’s a lot of pages, and a fantastic opportunity for savvy marketers, whether they are a small restaurant operator or a large chain.

With the onset of social media, conversations about food which only occurred amongst friends are now open to a wider audience. Thanks to the phenomenon of “micro blogging” sites such as Twitter, conversations now happen in real time and amongst a large network of people.

Restaurant operators really should take notice.

Apart from the obvious uses of social media, such as posting specials or other events, restaurateurs are now finding that they can engage directly in conversations with their clientele. So, what tactics can you adopt to take advantage of social media to interact with your guests?

There are a number of things which you can do – all at little or no cost:

Remember that the secret to making social media work is listening, answering questions and connecting with others. Take advantage of the opportunities within social media to connect your customers to your brand – because by connecting with them, they’ll tell others about you.

Is your restaurant making the most of social media?

Many forward-thinking companies are now introducing flexible working to their organisations with the aim of creating a better work/life balance for their staff.  In addition to the social benefits, what they may not know is that recent research suggests it can also be good for their staff’s health.

The facilities managements function has often been pivotal in driving this trend within organisations. A recent poll by the FM 100 reveals that just over 60 per cent of facilities managers report an increment in flexible working in the past five years.

What has enabled this increase is the ready availability of new technology, such as mobile broadband, which was simply not available five years ago. Established technologies such as smart phones are now so commonplace amongst executives that they are seen as passé. With wi-fi provided at many cafes and restaurants, coupled with faster and relatively inexpensive home broadband, it is now possible to work anywhere.

NFS have been cognisant of this trend for some time and have developed their Rendezvous Workspace solution to enable flexible working within organisations by empowering staff with the ability to book meeting rooms, hot desks and car parking from anywhere in the world, for the times when it’s necessary to re-enter the corporate office. Rendezvous Workspace is also unique in that it enables staff to book to video conferences across multiple time-zones.

Hostec-Europe 2010, the annual technology show for hospitality, foodservice and leisure, took place this March at London’s ExCel. NFS held a seminar there entitled The Compelling Case For Customer Loyalty, and Practical Ways To Make It Happen. It was presented by Luis De Souza, NFS Hospitality CEO, alongside Stuart Graffham, Operations Manager for Dover Street Wine Bar, an NFS client.

Since implementing NFS loyalty solutions, Dover Street has seen increased revenues, higher customer retention and significant repeat business. Luis and Stuart discussed the key business drivers in loyalty today, including the importance of customer retention and the pitfalls in not addressing such issues as lifetime value.

Highlights of this well received presentation included:

* WHAT is consumer behaviour conditioned by?
* WHAT is the total value of a loyal customer?
* HOW can loyalty increase revenue and improve retention?
* HOW can a successful loyalty programme utilise a range of methods to incentivise customers?
* CASE STUDY – Dover Street Wine Bar: how loyalty was implemented, the costs and benefits involved, and the future of loyalty at Dover Street
* WHAT is the future of Loyalty in the hospitality industry?

If you are looking for ways to improve your customer retention as well as increase lifetime value, then take a look at our PowerPoint presentation, available to download free by clicking HERE.

And the educational webinars continue. Have you signed up yet?

Our next scheduled webinar, Enhance Overall Client Experience with Seamless Service, will focus on NFS’ Rendezvous solution and will highlight how Rendezvous can significantly enhance and streamline the booking of rooms and resources.

As a response to organisational needs, Rendezvous is designed to provide a scalable, highly configurable solution for both smaller and larger venues that require a fully featured room and resource scheduling solution.

Rendezvous offers:

o Browser-based technology, making deployment and support simple and cost-effective
o Powerful Outlook and Exchange Integration, giving all staff simple access to rooms and facilities
o A Self-Service module for the end user requiring more extensive functionality
o For the multi-site corporate, multi-property and multi-time zone handling
o Complete management of all meeting details, including Video Conferencing, Catering, AV, and more
o Reception and visitor handling, including security features and customisable badges

Rendezvous can help your organisation save time and money, increase productivity, streamline operations and empower employees.

Please join us at our upcoming webinar to learn more!

WHAT:
Managing Venues: Enhance Overall Client Experience with Seamless Service

WHEN:
Tuesday, April 13, 2010 at 13.00h EST
Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 13.00h EST

To register for any of the free NFS webinars, visit www.myrendezvous.net/webinar.html today. Alternatively, if you would prefer to discuss your needs immediately then please contact the NFS team at sales@myrendezvous.net.