Careers
Contact Us

Hospitality Optimisation Forum

FOCUS FUTURE FORWARD

Welcome & Introduction
Neil Hughes – Managing Director Providence Hospitality
12H00

12h00
Welcome & Introduction

Neil Hughes – Managing Director Providence Hospitality

12h05 to 12h35
Keynote Q&A Discussion

Neil Hughes has a fireside conversation with Mike Stopforth of Beyond Binary on what it has taken for brands to remain relevant and what it’s going to take to stay relevant going forward.

(Re) building your brand post COVID

12h45 to 13h30
Market Update for a Better Commercial Understanding

Current and developing market trends and the current situation in the South African and Gauteng hotel sector.

Our panel will discuss what developers, commercial banks and debt funding institutes are thinking right now and what is important for us to know right now.

Are Corporates and MICE coming back and at what pace and where are the opportunities within the SA market right now that hotels and owners need to be paying attention to.

PANEL:
Moderated by:

Martin Jansen van Vuuren (Managing Director of Futureneer Advisors)

In conversation with:
Kamil Abdul-Karrim (Managing Director Pam Golding Tourism & Hospitality Consulting)

Wayne Godwin (SVP JLL Hotels & Hospitality)

13h30 to 14h30
Conference Break Networking, Snacks & Drinks
Finger Lunch

14h45 to 15h30
Hotel Operational & Property Optimisation

There are many challenges being faced within hotel operations today, but we have all shown massive resilience in adapting to these challenges and developing growth strategies from there.

In this session our panel of experts take a deep dive into what it takes to be commercially relevant right now. WHAT are both big and independent brands focusing on and WHY.

Our PEOPLE are our biggest asset, nobody can and should be denying this! What are we doing to develop and maintain our people so that our businesses can set themselves apart from the competition.

PANEL:
Moderated by:

Eben Marais (MD of Ankerdata Solutions / Protel)

In conversation with:
Theresa Prins (Founder of Revenue Resolutions)

Ashleigh Christy (HR Director Minor Hotels SSA)

Angus Baikie (Business Development Manager – South Africa – OTA Insights)

15h45 to 16h30
Independent vs. Branded vs. Blended (3rd Party Management Agreements)

There are many ways to contract professional hotel management companies and our panel discusses the various aspects of each version and their benefits and complexities for owners and stakeholders.

PANEL:
Moderated by:

Wayne Troughton (CEO HTI Consulting)

In conversation with:
Neil Hughes (Managing Director Providence Hospitality)

Joep Schoof (Director of Operations at VALOR Hospitality)

Geri Flanagan (Development Manager Accor SSA)

Michael Bromley (Director at Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes)

16h30 to 18h00 - Networking, Snacks & Drinks

DATE: 26 October 2022

TIME: 12h00 to 18h00

VENUE: Protea Hotel by Marriott Johannesburg Wanderers

Light snacks and refreshments will be served after the panel discussions and during the post event networking.

Sold Out

Should you have any questions regarding the event please send queries to neil@providencehospitality.co.za

ACCOMMODATION

We offer a special rate to all attendees. Use the below link to book your stay at the venue.

Book Now
Providence Hospitality, Neil Hughes

Neil Hughes

MD of Providence Hospitality South Africa

In conversation with

Providence Hospitality, Hospitality Optimization Forum Mike Stopforth

Mike Stopforth

Global Speaker

Keynote Address

MJvV Photo

Martin Jansen van Vuuren

Managing Director of Futureneer Advisors

Kamil Abdul-Karrim

Managing Director of Pam Golding Tourism & Hospitality Consulting

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Wayne Godwin

Wayne Godwin

Head of East Africa & Indian Ocean, JLL | SVP at JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group

1_lrg

Eben Marais

CEO of Ankerdata

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Theresa Prins

Theresa Prins

Founder of Revenue Resolutions and RevTech Partners

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Ashley Christie

Ashleigh Christie

Regional Director of People & Culture - Africa at Minor Hotels

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Angus Baikie

Angus Baikie

Business Development Manager at OTA Insight

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Wayne Troughton

Wayne Troughton

CEO, Hospitality & Real Estate Consulting at HTI Consulting

Providence Hospitality, Hospitality Optimization Forum Joep Schoof

Joep Schoof

Director of Operations at VALOR Hospitality

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Geri Flanagan

Geri Flanagan

Development Manager at Accor Hotels SSA

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Micheal Bromley

Michael Bromley

Director at Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes

HEADLINE SPONSORS:

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Quivertree
Providence Hospitality Planet

In Partnership With:

Providence Hospitality, Neil Hughes

Neil Hughes

MD of Providence Hospitality South Africa

Neil’s passion for the industry runs deep and having spent time running all aspects of hotel operations, developing hotels and building strategic plans for optimizing hotel groups and their individual assets he has the ability and insight to very quickly understand and guide constructive and relevant change within any hotel business.

Communication and relationships are key to the hotel business and Neil has a very real ability to instil trust and confidence through his candid approach to each individual scenario and will try to, as far as possible, create bespoke solutions for each challenge or opportunity. Having worked for local and international hotel operators and consulting firms Neil understands global industry trends and how to implement and optimize the various nuances into everything that he does.

Building and leading solid dynamic teams is essential to success and Neil does this instinctively. Having strong teams that challenge the status quo are what add value for all hospitality stakeholders from guests to investors and owners.

Providence Hospitality, Hospitality Optimization Forum Mike Stopforth

Mike Stopforth

Global Speaker

Mike Stopforth is an expert communicator and facilitator passionate about exploring ideas and building value at the intersection of leadership, technology, and impact. 

He is the CEO of digital leadership academy Beyond Binary and co-founder of 48HOURS, a social media crisis consultancy. These companies equip senior business leaders with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital age and keep themselves – and their organisations – relevant and competitive now and into the future.  

Mike is a digital pioneer. Before Beyond Binary, he founded Africa’s leading social media agency Cerebra, which WPP acquired in 2013. In 2007, Mike co-founded Afrigator.com, an African content aggregator, which sold to Naspers. He is a globally-renowned public speaker, lecturer and moderator.

Martin Jansen van Vuuren

Managing Director of Futureneer Advisors

Martin Jansen van Vuuren is the Managing Director of I and M Futureneer Advisor Pty Ltd. He holds an M.Com (Economics) degree and has spent 20 years with Grant Thornton’s Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure Advisory. Martin was promoted to a Director at Grant Thornton in 2008 and an equity partner in 2015. Martin established I and M Futureneer Advisors in 2018 and his services include:

  • Feasibility studies
  • Economic impact assessments
  • Strategy development
  • Marketing strategies
  • Financial projections
  • Valuations
  • Market demand research
  • Transactional advice and public private partnerships

Martin is the author of the “Managing the economic impacts of tourism” chapter in the second edition of Managing Tourism in South Africa, edited by Richard George. The book is used by post graduate students in Tourism at the University of Cape Town and Nelson Mandela Bay University.

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Wayne Godwin

Wayne Godwin

Head of East Africa & Indian Ocean, JLL | SVP at JLL's Hotels & Hospitality Group | JLL Africa EXCO

I have a passion for real estate in an emerging market context and lead JLL’s business in East Africa and Indian Ocean (SSA). This region presents one of the fastest-growing collections of urban centres in the world.

I am privileged to also lead JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group in Sub-Saharan Africa, the largest and most successful hotel advisor and broker in Africa, with a team of investment sales and advisory specialists helping solve problems, create value and bring greater transparency to hospitality and real estate on the continent. JLL’s Hotels & Hospitality Group has transacted on over USD 1.0 billion in hospitality assets in Africa.

My professional philosophy centres around the value of consistency and integrity and is grounded in the importance of continuous learning and incremental change.

Eben Marais

Chief Executive Officer of Ankerdata

With over 15 years of experience within the hospitality industry, Eben’s continuous passion for wanting to assist property owners to achieve their dreams complemented by his love for technology, has always been the recipe to his success. 

In the many years Eben has spent working at Ankerdata as an employee, later CEO, and now managing partner, he understands the importance of communication, catering to the client’s needs, and aftersales support. 

These factors have not only shaped the face of the organization but highlighted the core values of Ankerdata, which are Honesty, Integrity, Transparency, and Accountability. Eben strongly believes, your Guest is our Guest!

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Angus Baikie

Wayne Troughton

CEO, Hospitality & Real Estate Consulting at HTI Consulting

Angus Baikie – Business Development Manager at OTA Insight, the leading cloud based data intelligence company delivering the best in class tech stack, and commercial platforms to the hospitality sector, inspiring smarter sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution outcomes through an award winning suite of solutions.

Angus is responsible for engaging with local and global hospitality partners in Eastern; Western & Sub-Saharan Africa, focused at addressing their challenges by providing business intelligence tools and insights that can effectively integrate into their digital solutions landscape.

Previously Angus worked for Tsogo Sun; Marriott International; and more recently as Global Sales – Africa for the independent giant Preferred Hotels & Resorts, before joining OTA Insight. He is passionate about helping hoteliers navigate distribution challenges and providing them with insights on how to win in the revenue management-based environment.

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Wayne Troughton

Wayne Troughton

CEO, Hospitality & Real Estate Consulting at HTI Consulting

Involved in the hospitality, leisure and tourism industries for the past 30+ years. Held operational management positions in hotels in the United Kingdom and South Africa and consulted to blue chip clients in the Tourism, Hospitality and Leisure sectors in 48 countries in Africa and the Middle East over the past 22 years.

Specialties: Hotel and mixed use market and financial feasibility studies, operator selection, valuation analysis, business and financial advice, management contract negotiations, brokerage and finance raising.

Providence Hospitality, Hospitality Optimization Forum Joep Schoof

Joep Schoof

Director of Operations at VALOR Hospitality

Joep was born in the Netherlands, starting in the hotel trade at a young age, prior to completing his degree at the International Hotelschool in Leeuwarden. As part of this education, he completed his management traineeship at the then Dutch owned the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West, South Africa, which is where he discovered a love this continent. Joep’s career in the hospitality industry has seen him specialising in restaurant projects, F&B management, hospitality real estate and hotel management. These roles were completed at a variety of companies, such as the Arabella Sheraton Westin Grand, Pam Golding Hospitality and the Table Bay Hotel, which included the opening of the Maslow Hotel in Johannesburg. Joining Valor South Africa from day one, he was first involved as GM for Spier in Stellenbosch before heading up operations for Valor which included the opening of the first voco in Africa in Johannesburg.

Joep lives in Cape Town with his wife, Samantha, and two daughters, Natasha and Isabella and enjoys sailing the oceans, as well as trail running in the mountains.

Providence Hospitality, Optimization Forum, Micheal Bromley

Michael Bromley

Director at Smith Tabata Buchanan Boyes

Michael is a practising attorney and director of STBB. He heads STBB’s Corporate and Commercial Department and their Hospitality and Leisure Sector. Michael has over 35 years’ experience specialising in commercial law transactions and more particularly in the hospitality and leisure sector.

Key focus areas of his expertise include:

  • Mergers, acquisitions, property transactions, development of substantial capital-intensive facilities such as convention centers, casinos, lodges and hotels; and
  • Establishment of special purpose vehicles, shareholder relationships, financing, land tenure issues, structuring sectional title schemes, advising on relationships with stakeholders during the development and operational phases, with particular emphasis on hotel management, franchise and lease agreements. 

Michael has an intimate knowledge of most of the international hotel management companies standard form agreements.

Michael’s vast experience in these fields, particularly Hospitality and Leisure, is owed to his career as a practising corporate lawyer and as a member of the boards of directors of hotel owning companies including The Winchester and Lagoon Beach Hotel Groups.