Marg Main will deliver the afternoon session focused on empowering leaders, to be more comfortable in the leadership space. 

‘Leadership is not about holding on. Leadership is about letting go.’  

We have to let go of preconceptions; let go of what hasn’t worked in the past. As a leader we must learn to trust our people. This has never been more important than in this current environment. It is not easy leading a team of people. I want to give you practical, realistic things that you can go, you know, what if I try this, it could potentially work 

How do YOU set up for success? 

Success can look like a whole lot of different things, to different people and we must acknowledge that this has been an incredibly challenging couple of years. This workshop is a great opportunity to start the year feeling motivated and inspired.  

We’ll be looking at teams.  

Teams today have evolved from the past. Who are our teams? How do we develop them? How can I better understand the different types of people that make up my team?  

We’ll be unpacking our role as a leader. 

Looking at how we can best encourage, develop and support our people. How do we motivate them? Not everybody is motivated by the same things and some of that motivation may well have changed in this new normal that we are operating in. We will run through advice and tools that you can use. 

We’ll be looking at leadership communication styles.  

The first step before we need to communicate is to take a hard look in the mirror. What is my leadership style? How do I adjust that communication to match the different team members? How do we make sure that people feel comfortable? Communication is key, so that is what we will focus on. Given the environment we are operating in now, we must be more supportive and more empathetic, to create teams that are resilient and able to roll with the punches.  

What do I hope you take away from this?  

I hope you come away with tools and tricks to make you feel more empowered in the leadership space. Our small group setting means you can learn not only from the front of the room but through connecting with each other. I don’t think many of us leave school and put our hands up to manage, people often just end up in that role.  I’ve had my business Turning Tables now for about 15 years and met lots of leaders across the board in the industry. It’s really neat when I go into venues and people talk to me about something they’ve tried and had success with, that they learned in one of my workshops. It’s given them that extra boost of confidence. And for me that’s the takeaway, that some of the tools will make it more seamless for you. Of course, you’ll also get to hear a few stories from me, lots of examples, and situations. So hopefully some of those challenges you bring, we can use some real-life examples to work through them. 

In the morning session, Adrian Wills will explore ways technology can be implemented into your business, to benefit yourself, your staff and your customers.  

Technology solutions can help you maintain a competitive advantage by keeping on top of trends and customer demands, especially in the face of Covid. Whether it’s a new POS system, booking software, or inventory management app, integrating technology into your operations can streamline efficiency and improve the customer dining experience. 

Adrian will draw from his experiences as a hospitality business owner and tech start-up background, to help you gain a better understanding of what technologies may work best in your business.   

Technology gets you in front of your customers.  

I’ve found in the past that a lot of people in hospitality shy away from using technology. They feel it can take away from the customer experience, but I found it to be quite the opposite. We’ve had a lot of success using technology to make things easier and faster, which ultimately gets you more time in front of customers. Our staff at The Beer Spot can be out front delivering a great sales pitch on independent NZ beers, rather than sitting out back-office slugging away on the computer. 

Bring tech to the table.  

I come from a start-up background, so I’ve taken a lot of what I learnt and applied it to the hospitality businesses I’m involved with. From one business owner to another, I find that a lot of these technologies are so important to implement in your business and are important to learn for owners and managers too. It frees you up to get out of the business, get out of the way at the right times. Processes that allow you the freedom to be involved and have visibility when you need to. 

Innovate to future proof.  

We’ll be casting forwards to look at the future of your business, through an innovative lens. I think the biggest takeaway that people can have will just be that you will see some different approaches to run in the hospital business than usual, things that they might not have considered before. 

Get face-to-face insight.  

I’m super excited to just get out and talk to venue owners around the country, something I’ve not had the chance to do lately. This is going to be a great opportunity for networking and for a great discussion about technology and how it can help your business. I can’t wait to get out around the country, chat face-to-face and hopefully have a beer with you.  

Let’s chat about your goals, and how technology might help you fulfil them.