Sevilla 2009

Buenos días Amigos,

Last week we (Stephan & Miranda Schuschke, Mise en place Germany and Maartje Beijsens, Hotellotop) attended the 36^th annual general meeting of the European Hotel Managers Association in Sevilla, Andaluse, Spain. A working conference with 300 General Managers of 4 and 5 star hotels (Chain + independent), we discussed topics and issues such as ‘Responsible Information Technology’, ‘What is new in e-marketing?’ or the main theme ‘social responsibility in hospitality’. Off course we liked the combination of business (Mise en place Europe is still going EU) and pleasure (Flamingo shows, Jamon & Cerveza, gala dinner and visits to a typical Andalusian Hacienda). We met several GM’s, also Spanish ones who talked us into a start up of mep in spain! So in two weeks I will fly to Barcelona to talk to some new friends we made about the market situation and the international students there! (Good contacts overthere? Mail me!)
What did we learn…? Many new ideas, but the most interesting story was the one from Michael Gray, Hyatt London, about beating the so called cr***s. He was (as we are) positive about the getting out of it and gave us some tips that we compared with Mise en place:
1.       Do not cut Quality… we won’t…above all we will invest even more in our Mise en place-academy and the roll out of human talent management.
2.       Lower costs, BUT avoid cutting staff!
If your personnel is loyal and your company has a soul and a spirit they will help you!
I thought: in the coming months we will have to stick together and I am sure that we don’t have to fire anyone, because no one will complain when they have to do a job like they used to… see you all again the 12^th of march TEFAF pre-opening as a jobper!
(Even the management trained themselves when they were jobping at the IMPW).
3.       Keep your sales fully staffed!
Okay… all the office managers, management teams and board of directors experienced a great January concerning old and new contacts made at the BBB, Horecava  and Fort St.- Pieter party. So sales is number one, get out of your office is not a issue at Mise en place!
So I want to ask all my readers: Could you bring us business? Could you give us tips were we can expand our Mise en place business?A nice scribble was the following: we are not gonna SAVE ourselves out of this market situation, but we are gonne SELL ourselves out. Bingo! Tips… mail me again J!
So follow the money. Diplomates, pharma, local committees still spend money… Where? That’s where Mise en place needs to be…
4.       Be positive and visible
Go to the meeting where you can strengthen your network and talk to anyone who likes you and want to give you business, whatever the business may be! Reciprocity…
5.       Do not stop training, keep developing people… Mise en place will increase as I said earlier!

At the end of his speech someone from American Express stressed that the ‘mantra’, the song every day was; 
1. Stay liquid
2. Stay profitable
3. Stay close to your costumer
And also here I can be positive that we will overcome these points in 2009. Later that day I gave an 1 to 1 interview to Dr. Klaas-Wybo van der Hoek, Executive Board Stenden university, which I will put on my blog later when it is published. It gave me new thoughts about the cr***s and like I said in my opening speech during IMPW 2009 ‘the only fear I have is fear itself’ and I would like to add ‘we will prepare for the worst’. The literal translation of the word Mise en place: prepare for coming activities!  

Now that is why we got back from Sevilla full of energy, with a renewed sense of commitment and a even stronger bond with some of our costumers! Let’s be prepared and really run like hell for new business… 

Saludos, Charly