From rising costs and recruitment issues to changing guest expectations and business uncertainty, Cumbria’s hospitality sector certainly has a lot on its plate.
For two days a year there is an opportunity for people from across the business of entertaining and looking after guests to come together and connect as a community.
The Lakes Hospitality Show has been held for 49 years and is an event which organisers say is as much about collaboration as it is doing business with the wide variety of trades on show.
From vital professional backroom services that help any business tick to those providing food and drink, decorating services, laundry, bedding and the myriad range of specialist support without which a visitor economy collectively worth £4.6bn would not function.
Gary McClure maybe knows more than most how hospitality in Cumbria has changed.
“I remember the first catering exhibition which was held at Beech Hill near Windermere and it was McClure originally that put it on to showcase what was available,” Gary recalls.
“Frozen food in them days was just beginning to come onto the market and really ready-made, where food was progressing. I always remember one instance where we actually tried freezing strawberries, then we defrosted them, never again!”
Training the chefs of tomorrow is Adrian Law and Alessandro Possamai from the Bay School of Hospitality, part of Lancaster and Morecambe College.
“The conditions are better, the pay’s better, there are a lot more Michelin star places so if you want to go to the higher end that’s good but also nursing homes are changing as well,” Adrian told Business Crack.
Student Dylan’s enthusiasm is infectious about a profession in which he hopes to make a mark.
“It’s just fun; I’ve always loved cooking, it’s just been natural to me,” he said. “I like the hours, I like the work, I like the people I work with, the community and catering is just brilliant I think.”
Close collaborations with The Gilpin and other hotels have enabled students to gain work experience in an area where demand for their skills is high.
“I think it’s massively important to have employers involved with our students to show opportunities that are out there and open their eyes to the big wide world and all the different things that are on offer,” Emma Dennison from the Bay School of Hospitality said.
“It’s really important to inspire the next generation and to change the stereotype as well with people in the industry. It was the case that you worked in hospitality whilst you trained to get a ‘proper job’ – what we want to do is say this is a proper job.”
Interest in the course is such that the college says full-time numbers have doubled in the past year.
The hospitality show enables employers to meet with the college and other training providers to take stock of where the industry is now and the skills that may well be needed in the future.
For organisers those collaborative links are vital in a changing world.
“It is all about community and that business to business community is what the raison d’etre of the event is,” James Tasker, director of the Lakes Hospitality Association, told Business Crack.
“It’s also to allow businesses within the area to see the latest products, the cutting-edge technology, what is out there to be able to assist them within their business just prior to the start of what we hope will be a phenomenally good season.”
The value of gathering businesses from across Cumbria at the event is also echoed by the chief executive of Cumbria Tourism, the body which represents many of those visiting or exhibiting at the event.
“I think Cumbria is fairly unusual to some of the more metropolitan areas where the businesses have really close relationships,” Gill Haigh said.
“They’re small family businesses, sometimes individuals rather than big multinational companies, so it is much more personal and I think that’s what makes Cumbria unique.”
With half term still a recent memory how does she view the approaching main season?
“I think this industry has had one thing after another piled upon it and the one thing you can say is we’re resilient here in Cumbria but that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard,” she told the Northern Lights podcast from Business Crack.
“I think that comes back to why today is so important. Being able to have those conversations with each other, being able to share ideas, share inspiration to be able to collaborate on particular opportunities and understand that you’re not alone.”
An industry that supports 28% of all jobs in Cumbria is facing challenges and change.
The debate over a visitor levy is underway, what effect the new Cumbria combined authority and mayor will have on the sector is not yet known plus the fluctuating bills faced by all of us are landing on doormats and inboxes right now.
Yet the mood at the event was quietly upbeat and for those charged with promoting Cumbria optimistic.
“We are still one of the most popular destinations that there is,” Gill Haigh said. “We have just been out in Amsterdam and Utrecht and we’re going to America and Australia together with all the country shows this summer. People love this place and want to come.”
Planning is already underway for the 50th anniversary of the hospitality show in 2027. Organisers hope that the industry or ‘community’ will emerge stronger collectively in 12 months time.
