Hospitality is modern theatre and entertainment

The digital revolution has changed so much. It is has had many positive effects. It has allowed the world to become open and transparent. It has opened up learning, communications and visualisation but the speed of life is becoming faster and faster and the reality is that neither business structures nor people are able to cope with the speed of change.There is a need to make people important again. There is a school of thought that suggests that science fiction is becoming science fact. Think of self-driving cars and robots. The skills that are needed within businesses are changing. However, there is one that is a constant – the importance of relationship and that in business, people buy people. Too many businesses have relied on their brands to do the work when actually what can achieve success is the eldest fashioned of skills – people building strong relationships, trust, vision, leadership and fun at work. We are now operating in a world when our cars, our businesses, our homes are all wired together and talking to each other. Even our bodies will soon be connected. True. Fitbits are now measuring our bodies better than ever before and are connected to our phones.The digital revolution has created the perfect storm of change that in turn creates data of record levels which creates greater MI and comms. The cycle continues.But still the one true differential are people and great values.In the 1980s and 1990s, Gardner Merchant and Forte stood apart as businesses as they trained their people better than anyone else. There is a need for the same philosophy today.Anything that cannot be automated or digitalised will become extremely valuable and this can be Hospitality’s gain. Hospitality today is entertainment – it is about imagination, inspiration, emotion, service. Hospitality is even more special in how it links great people to the modern business. It is no coincidence that Hospitality is becoming increasingly creative at this time. There is so much original thinking and the value of service has returned as being a key differential.  One of the major changes in the generations that has been well noted is that experiences have become increasingly important. People will pay for greater experiences – for hospitality experiences that do inspire and touch their emotions; that are indulgent and luxurious.     The future is not technology; it is, as it has always been all about people, relationships and emotion. Hospitality is all about emotion and that is where we need to focus on – to develop creative solutions that manage the technology of the modern world to create even greater experiences and allow the Industry to prosper.