Pre webinar spotlight on Kathryn Clarke MIH

We caught up with Kathryn Clarke MIH ahead of her upcoming IoH webinar: Maximise Venue Sales & Hospitality Revenue.

This is your first Webinar for the Institute. Can you tell us more about yourself?

My career has spanned 30 years of working within the hospitality, travel and tourism industry sectors. My roles included Team Manager for a busy travel sales call centre, Reservations and Revenue Manager for city centre hotels to Group Sales and Business Development for conference centres and luxury Meeting, Incentive, Conference and Events, (MICE), market sales for Cotswold venues. Making the move to launch my own business in 2014 offering freelance sales and marketing support and consultancy.

Having worked with some of the largest global hospitality brands and independent venues providing award winning sales and marketing representation service to deliver results for clients, I have never looked back.

You’ve rejoined the Institute at the beginning of 2020… how have you found it?

I became aware of the IOH as a student and was a member at that time, and some 30 years later became a member again in January. In hindsight it was perfect timing as the institute has been a great support, providing the benefits of updates, webinars and information. The ‘Coffee and Conversation’ mornings have enabled me to meet and get to know the network which has felt like an extended family at times! It is wonderful to have the opportunity to give something back!

What can we expect from the Webinar?

As we’ve emerged from lockdown restrictions, we are still submerged in future uncertainty. In Maximise Venue Sales & Hospitality Revenue, as the name suggests, we will explore how to maximise venue sales and hospitality revenue; considering what the future of corporate meetings look like, what event organisers are going to be looking for from venues and how to utilise space to changing market demand.

We work with hotels and venues aiding their sales and marketing efforts, speaking with corporate and agency bookers. We also offer an event venue finding and accommodation booking service. So I see both sides, and while I understand and sympathise with the many in-house challenges hoteliers have especially right now, I see so many lost opportunities that I want to highlight. It can be so easy to maximise revenue with simple but effective changes.

As anyone working in hospitality knows it’s hard not to bring your preconceived ideas and expectations to the table, literally, when dining out and staying over, very aware of each service team member performance. Now more than ever, every cover counts, and maximising spend with great customer service should be the aim.

Hello hospitality recently celebrated 6 years in business, have you reflected on the period?

I believe lockdown has made us all reflect somewhat, but yes, I think I have and the lessons I have learnt seem as relevant today as the day I started.

• Be Brave – Back in 2014, I was employed as a Sales & New Business Manager on an estate resort and the time felt right for a new challenge for several reasons. Due to my location being fairly rural and having young children, new employment opportunities in the corporate events market were limited and the urge to create my own future, to suit my desired direction, lifestyle choices and family commitments were born. Giving up a job to take on a new role is always an anxious time but giving up a job to become self-employed is a whole new terrifying experience. I am not a brave person, I overthink, worry, and sometimes suffer from a lack self-confidence, so if I can do it, anyone can!  If you have done your market research, have a clear strategy and the tenacity and passion to succeed, go for it.
• Believe in yourself – Self-doubt can be crippling to your performance and business, believe in your value, your service/product and yourself and go for it. Dismiss negative thoughts of self-doubt and feel positive about your capabilities.
• Remember your ‘why’- When times are hard, and let’s face it, pretty much all of us have been through a tough few months, we can easily forget our ‘why’, the reason we do what we do, our passion. These core values can help spur us on when we have setbacks and doubts.
• Stay Positive – Now more than ever, when we endure such challenges, certainly in the events and hospitality sector, we must remain positive. Believe in and pursue positive outcomes with the help of simple mindset exercises.
• Be focussed – Fail to prepare, prepare to fail! Business planning and strategy is essential, and in times of crisis or challenge, review your plans and refocus on the goals and how to achieve them considering the new situation. It may take longer, or the goals may change, that is OK, the essential part is having clear direction, targets, and a plan of how to achieve the goal.
• Work Hard – At the end of the day, having your own business is rewarding and to succeed you will need to build a loyal, happy client base who are willing to refer. Work hard to ensure your customer obligations are fulfilled, satisfied, and exceeded for guaranteed success.

Kathryn will be presenting the webinar Maximise Venue Sales & Hospitality Revenue on 10 November 2020. Webinars are free to Members and just £10 to non-members.

Register to attend this webinar