Olugbenga Omotayo Sunday is the Chief Executive Officer and Convener of Hotel Managers Conference (HMC) 2023, which is scheduled to hold in Owerri between July 13 and 14. Sunday, who is also the Managing Director of Tojum Hospitality, promoters of Idere Hills, Ibarapa, Oyo State, spoke on the conference, which is in its fifth edition this year.
Excerpts:
What is the level of preparations for this year's event?
We have gone a notch higher in our preparations for this year unlike previous years. For example, we started earlier with activation of committees, marketing and promotional campaigns. As it stands now, we're about eighty per cent ready for HMC.
What is the theme for this year and what informed it choice?
This year's theme is; Performance Management: Managers and Owners Dilemma. Hospitality operation is centred on performance, goal setting, activation, monitoring, measurement and evaluation. Without performance, hospitality business, the investors and management would lose their relevance as the business would no longer be sustainable.
What do you hope to achieve with the theme?
We hope that as we focus on this theme, we would clarify the dilemma for both management and investors which stems from intrinsic perspective where both parties look to meet and surpass targets and get returns on investments. A lot of investments and costs go into sustaining hospitality facilities with the human resources and it is expected that there will be returns.
This looks simple to a lay person but it is not to professions and the owners. The drive to achieve success, to have returns on investments is a big dilemma for all the parties involved.
In this year's Hotel Managers Conference, we have a mandate to simplify and clear common misconceptions and provide tested approaches to understanding and working as a team between managers and owners in the business as this would ensure returns for the business owners and the management.
What are your expectations for the conference?
We expect that we would have impressive participants for the conference. We look towards a robust and impressive networking. We anticipate an avalanche of abundant body of knowledge and emerging trends in the business for every delegate to draw from.
To achieve all of these and more, we have lined up globally tested hospitality experts, with proven records in the industry to impact delegates at the conference. We expect to move the hospitality industry in Nigeria and Africa a notch higher, and produce better managers, that would ensure seamless operations and professionalism in business and wok environment.
For this year’s conference you’ve so far succeeded in attracting LG Electronics Nigeria and Monty Suites, for the first time in the life of the conference, how did this happen and what does it mean for the conference?
I should say that these two brands are not the only sponsors we are going to have for this year's Hotel Managers Conference. A number of international brands are still talking with us. In the coming weeks, we would be announcing more sponsors.
The quality of these sponsors speaks volumes about the values and potentials Hotel Managers Conference have delivered in the past and will continue to deliver.
There are brands who seek for viable platforms to extend their values in the hospitality industry. For such organisations, Hotel Managers Conference is an answer for them.
Hotel Managers Conference has a networking platform consisting about 600 hotel managers, hospitality companies owners and chief executives and top hospitality experts. That platform extends Hotel Managers Conference to over 6, 000 staff in the hospitality space in Nigeria and about 1, 000 hospitality companies.
Wakanow, which is the biggest OTA in Nigeria and Africa, has also come on board as sponsor, what impact would this have on the conference?
Wakanow is an international brand, with some of the smartest professionals in travel and tourism industry.
For Wakanow to come in as a sponsor it speaks volumes about the multiple values inherent in HMC.
HMC has consistently delivered values to managers from every aspect of the hospitality industry value chain. HMC had hosted some of the best brains in hospitality business, created high value networking, hosted suppliers and buyers of hospitality products and is fast becoming the annual tonic of motivation for the industry.
All we did was to present our core opportunities to the management of Wakanow. Being a unique business minded organisation, they were able to sieve through and discovered the various opportunity points for their business and so, they took it.
As the organisers, we are very impressed that Wakanow is sponsoring this event. Right now we have about eight sponsors and a number of partnerships.
What benefits would your sponsors derive from sponsoring the conference?
The platform offers limitless benefits for any company that does so. Among the many benefits, the company would enjoy massive media mileage as we’re strongly positioned to deliver on that. All our sponsors would receive the unique status of 'Sponsor’ on all our marketing and promotional items.
We will give sponsors complementary full page adverts in the event brochure. All our sponsors will receive exhibition tables at the event venue in addition to having five VIP passes for the Hotel Managers Awards Gala and Dinner night.
All sponsors would also receive special recognition at Hotel Managers Awards. In addition, sponsors would have 10 minutes to make presentations to all delegates during the conference.
What is your message to prospective sponsors or the corporate world?
My message to the corporate world and any prospective company willing to come on board as sponsor should note that our platform creates avenue to network and interface with the decision makers within the hospitality industry and that opens a lot of added opportunities and simplifies your marketing drive to reach the wider hospitality industry managements under one roof.
We deliver contacts of all participants to sponsors to build on relationship established during the conference.
What have been some of the major challenges you faced in organising this conference?
Finance of course! With every great idea and a great team, the next thing is finance to translate the vision into reality. We couldn't pay all our partners and supporters as we would have wanted. Despite the financial constraint, we were able to cross the hurdles to achieve the modest achievements that we have notched up over the years.
We hope going forward that the government would create the much talked Tourism Development Fund (TDF) to support our modest efforts and others too.
How have you be able to cope with some of these contraints?
We have kept faith with our vision regardless. I must confessed that I'm favoured to have a great team of men and women who believe in this vision and patiently work with me in delivering on the vision.
What has been your source of inspiration and strength in organising this conference?
The acceptance, my team, the impact and the positive feedbacks that we have been receiving from participants have all helped to inspire and motive us in sustaining this conference.
What has been the impact of the conference in its four years existence?
We have gathered over 1, 000 hotel managers, owners and consultants under one roof in the past four editions of the conference.
Last year, we had over 300 online audiences in attendance globally. Hotel Managers Conference has had physical representations from all the six geo-political zones in Nigeria. In 2022 edition, we had delegates from 18 states in Nigeria physically present, bring the number of delegates to about 2, 000.
What level do you see the conference in the next five years?
In years, I see Hotel Managers Conference become a globally recognised annual retreat for all hotel and hospitality company managers in Nigeria and Africa. I see us holding our conferences in destinations like South Africa, Kenya, and Dubai among others.
Who are the specific target audience of the conference?
Hotel Managers Conference specifically and generally targets hotels and hospitality managers operating within West Africa and Africa. Hotel owners, hospitality consultants, general managers, heads of departments and operations, managers of hospitality related businesses such as eateries, restaurants, recreation centres and clubs.
Our goal is create that invaluable platform for them to have the privilege of meeting with and networking with hospitality experts, with global reach and relevance and draw from their vast wealth of timely knowledge for the benefits of their professional and business growth.
What is your view of the Nigerian hotel and hospitality market?
The market is growing, more hotels are springing up, and our population is a big advantage. One big issue is a commensurate human capital. We are short of skilled workforce.
What are your expectations from the government?
Government participation is very key because when government shows interest and active participate in what the private sector is doing then our nation and industry will flourish.
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