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The Victory Services Club has become the first venue in the world to be awarded ‘World Class’ status by the Institute of Hospitality’s Hospitality Assured accreditation.

The programme assesses organisations in the hospitality sector against a framework for business and service excellence. Scoring is made in nine different categories including customer service, strategy and leadership, employee engagement, service recovery and operations. To achieve World Class status an organisation has to score over 80% in all nine steps of the standard.

Mark Field FIH, Operations Director, Victory Services Club said: “We are extremely proud of our team for achieving this truly world class achievement. It’s testament to their dedication and their ongoing contribution to customer service. Every customer is important to us and this approach and responsibility flows through every staff member in every team. We are a charity with all profits going to fund respite breaks for the military and their families; I think this has helped us to attract a team that really cares about what we achieve and how we can serve and deliver world class service to our members and clients.”

Max Lawrence FIH, MTMI, Finance and Administration Director of the Institute of Hospitality and Hospitality Assured Assessor said: “What sets the Club apart is their attention to detail and the precision with which they operate. The staff feel really valued and there is a sense of empowerment that runs through the entire team; they feel responsible for their actions and are proud of what they do. This empowerment is crucial to world class service because it enables everyone to respond and feed back any issues and to create positive change. I’ve been assessing the Club for over a decade now and I am continually inspired by their approach and activity. They are constantly innovating and developing their team and this has quite rightly led to this World Class status.”

There are only 15 other organisations worldwide to achieve World Class status.

Global Experience Specialists (GES) EMEA Exhibitions has further bolstered its commitment to environmental change by appointing a Head of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). Kate Holliday will focus on developing the business’ ground-breaking ESG programme and working to ensure it maintains its position as a leader in the field.

The announcement follows Event Sustainability Live (ESL), which GES not only sponsored alongside its co-located sister event, Event Tech Live, but also handled the stand build, feature areas and bespoke designs. The new appointment is just the latest in a number of initiatives that have underlined the regular action taken by the business to create more sustainable events, and with Kate joining, the GES now has an internal and external face for the work it is doing, and the expertise to take it to the next level in 2024.

Among the recent developments in GES’ sustainable programme has been its recent partnership with specialist sustainability and social change agency Seismic to address its societal and environmental impact and work to the BCorp framework. Certified B Corporations, or B Corps, are companies verified by B Lab to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability.

“We are delighted to welcome Kate to the business and look forward to seeing how our sustainable programme flourishes under her guidance. Kate brings a huge amount of experience and insight to the role and will help us to continue with the evolution of our many sustainable projects,” said Neil Yeomans, VP of operations, GES EMEA, Exhibitions.

“I am excited to have joined GES as Head of ESG, it’s great to be working with a business and a leadership team who are committed to making sustainability core to their operations and business strategies. I am looking forward to collaborating with our suppliers and clients to continue to embed and develop sustainable initiatives for GES and the industry,” added Kate Holliday, Head of ESG, GES EMEA, Exhibitions.

Meet In Wales will be delving into the world of Life Sciences at IBTM this month, when the team introduces its sector specialist and ambassador, Dr Lee Parry. Dr Parry, who is on the faculty of Cardiff University, will be introduced to stage by Meet In Wales’ Head of Business Events, Heledd Williams, before presenting a session entitled Life Lessons from a Life Scientist and getting to grips with how the event industry can support such work.

The team’s attendance at the show forms part of Meet In Wales’ highly successful campaign to align its meetings and events strategy with the expertise within the destination and has already seen it highlight the region’s advances in the worlds of semi-conductors and renewables. In fact, at IBTM 2022 the team hosted an entire session dedicated to semi-conductors and their potential impact.

For 2023, Meet In Wales will be joining forces with numerous partners at IBTM to showcase what Wales has to offer and highlight the people and the places that make it such a formidable business destination. These include:

· ICCWales

· Celtic Collection

· Meet Cardiff

· Venue Cymru

· The Vale Resort & Hensol Castle

· Orchard Media & Events

· Voco St David's Hotel

· Cambria DMC @ASA

“Our sector-focused campaign has opened people’s eyes to the rich mix of businesses and sectors that call Wales their home,” commented Heledd Williams, Head of Business Events at Meet In Wales. “We’re pleased to be able to bring Dr Parry to IBTM and introduce the world of Life Sciences to a new audience and work with our partners to truly showcase Wales as a meetings destination.”

Life Sciences is undoubtedly one of the growing sectors in Wales, with the region hosting academic and corporate communities and research centres that influence scientific knowledge and behaviour around the world. The Welsh Life Sciences industry currently employs more than 12,000 people, in over 260 companies (ranging from SME's and start-ups to large blue chip companies) with an approximate turnover of £2.6bn. With world-leading academic expertise and a central Life Sciences Hub, Wales demonstrates a strong competitive advantage in Medtech, Diagnostics, Wound Healing, Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy and is already creating a world-leading Regenerative Medicine ecosystem, which includes academics, the NHS, Government and centres of excellence. 75% of the life sciences market is export focussed. Welsh companies are supplying their products and services to markets all around the World from Spain and Ireland, to Canada, Brazil, Qatar and Singapore.

“I’m delighted to be able to share not just the importance of the Life Sciences sector, but also its place in Wales,” commented Dr Lee Parry. “As a nation, we’re extremely proud of the advances we continue to make in the scientific world and it’s a privilege to be able share that story and encourage event organisers to explore the long-established industry links that exist in the region.”

In recent years Wales has transformed its business landscape, having evolved to concentrate on industrial and service-based activities, from technology to Fin Tech, renewables to creativity.