No one today has all the answers. There is a greater need for informed opinions, whether one agrees with it or not.

Over the last 17 years, EP has been lucky and privileged enough to attend and host many great events. From the Coronation Festival in 2013 to the high intensity of the G7 summit at Excel in 2009 as world leaders combated the Financial Crisis, to speaking at conferences held across the world from the US to China to all across Europe.

EP has also been honoured to interview many leading political figures over the last 17 years as well as over 1,000 senior industry figures. Furthermore we have worked with over 250 start-ups and entrepreneurs. We have also hosted over 1500 events; welcomed over 8000 unique attendees, run over 14 major campaign initiatives and published over 15,000 articles and opinion pieces, reaching on average over 4,500 unique readers per week.

Our aspiration today is as high as ever as we have a love for the industry. It is an industry which has defied forecasts of doom & gloom as it has constantly reinvented itself to become one of the recognised major industries in the UK. It is an industry which is a strange mix of being steadfastly traditional but also progressive. It represents all social groups and plays a central role in daily life; arguably more today than ever as it is the glue which is at the heart of all social interaction from school life to business to social and celebrations.

The industry faces as many new challenges today as ever. The world is changing all the time and we view our role, not to write about trade issues, but to ask the questions which many at board level are considering and reflecting upon.

• When will international business return to any normality? It accounts for a high percentage of revenue for major hotels and restaurants and it has been missed. What can we expect?
• Many argue the supply chain is in danger. How will it change? What will the supply chain look like in 5 years time?
• How will inflation impact on M&A and business?
• The industry knows it needs to do more to be more diverse and inclusive. What is happening?
• Technology is changing many services and businesses. The number of Smart devices within a hotel room have doubled in just the last 2 years. What more lies ahead?
• Many emerging generations have been disengaged and need new strategies to win them over. How can bridges be built to solve the problem?
• Many argue that the Higher Education system is not fit for purpose. How can this be solved?

We have always sought to simply raise and debate the hard questions being asked behind closed doors. Once upon a time, it could be reasonably expected for many boards to have all the answers to the major challenges. Today, it is a more complex landscape. The world is global and interconnected. What is happening in Ukraine is impacting on daily business and life.

No one has all the answers. EP brings together over 50 associate experts to feed constant thoughts and ideas which can then be shared with our audiences. We believe in collaboration, in knowledge share and in working in support of the whole.