New details of the Pub Leaders Summit program have been announced, with the middle portion of the day focused on both business model viability and profitability, and cyber security.
Brought to you by McCAIN and Australian Hotelier, one section of the Pub Leaders Summit conference – to be held on Tuesday 10 September in Sydney – has been revealed, hitting on a variety of topics that are front of mind for the pub sector currently.
Profitability and adaptation
With a number of economic factors placing real pressure on venue profit margins, two sessions will look at profitability and adapting to difficult economic landscape.
In a panel session entitled ‘Adaptive and Viable Business Models’, Odd Culture Group CEO James Thorpe, National AHA CEO Stephen Ferguson, and Ben McDonald, managing director of gold sponsor JLL Hotels & Hospitality, will discuss how pub venues are having to re-think and reconfigure their operations to counter-act changes in consumer spending and behaviour.
“From a pandemic to a cost-of-living crisis, unfortunately the need to diversify and ‘pivot’ to protect your business isn’t going away any time soon. Staying true to what inspired you to become a hospitality business owner in the first place, while protecting your revenue from the ebbs and flows of the market is really the essence of what I would say hospitality management has become about in this hostile market,” stated Thorpe.
Ferguson expressed his delight in participating in the panel, with McDonald adding: “Very much looking forward to speaking at the Pub Leaders Summit on a panel discussing Viable Business Models in the pub space. In a world where consumer behaviour is continually changing, competition is increasing and technology is playing a key role in real time decision making, savvy publicans are constantly evaluating the way they do business. We are seeing the right calls being made here having a material positive effect on asset values.”
Within the same topic, Alistair Jarvis, managing director of gold sponsor Profitability Partners, will present on how operators can make their venues profitable, and the levers to pull to do so.
Cybersecurity
Another pressing topic for pub operators is cybersecurity. Many pub businesses house and utilize a lot of patron data, and ensuring that the data is kept secure is front of mind – particularly in light of some high-profile leaks.
Alex Hoffmann, executive director of CyberCX, will make a presentation entitled ‘Cyber Security in Hospitality – Top 5 Threats and Top 5 Actions.’
“Cyber security incidents are impacting business from small to large around Australia, and the hospitality industry is not immune,” stated Hoffmann.
“Earlier this year, we saw the impact of a third-party breach on Clubs NSW that became front-page news. Doing the basics right can go a long way to protecting businesses and minimising the chances of cyber events occurring in the first place, or making sure companies can get back on their feet quickly if they experience one.”
Specialising in crisis management after a digital hack, Lauren Clancy at Porter Novelli argues a cyber security breach is now more likely a case of when not if. Having worked with many clients across various industries in the aftermath of a cyber attack, Clancy will discuss how publicans can prepare a response if the worst should happen, minimising risks to reputation, as well as keeping customers engaged.
“Imagine you suddenly can’t access your systems on a Saturday night when your pub is packed with patrons. Or, you lose the personal information of hundreds of customers who had booked private functions at your venue. Are you prepared to respond to situations like these?” Clancy asked.
“Being impacted by a data breach is a matter of when, not if, in Australia today. This is especially true given there were almost 500 data breaches reported to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in the last six months of 2023. This level of inevitability is the reason that cyber security is considered a top risk by business leaders across Australia. Great response requires good preparation, and we look forward to speaking to you about how to ensure your data breach response passes the pub test.”
Also in this section of the program is a panel on Modern Marketing, looking at how the marketing landscape continues to shift and evolve at breakneck speed. Discussing various aspects of effective marketing are Alex Barron, group marketing manager of Applejack Hospitality; George Redmond, director of Stanley House Studios; and Andy El-Bayeh, CEO of Example.
There are plenty of other sessions and speakers still to be announced, with updates made continually on the Pub Leaders Summit website.
The Pub Leaders Summit, brought to you by McCAIN and Australian Hotelier, will be held 9-10 September at Waterview at Bicentennial Park, Sydney Olympic Park. Discounted earlybird tickets with a saving of up to $100 are on sale to 31 July.
