Reshaping the narrative around hospitality and championing the people behind it.

That’s the whole point of The Art of Hospitality.

When we founded TAOH in November 2023, it wasn’t because we fancied another industry “talking shop”. It was built with a clear mission: change the way people view hospitality in the UK, protect the future of it, and join up a network that’s too often fragmented.

Hospitality doesn’t need more noise. It needs stronger connection, better leadership, and more pride in the people doing the graft every single day.

Since day one, TAOH has been about telling the truth: hospitality is one of the most powerful forces in our economy and communities, but it’s been undervalued for too long. It creates jobs, builds confidence, drives local supply chains, and gives towns and cities their heartbeat. When hospitality thrives, places thrive. When it struggles, everything feels it.

That’s why The Great Art of Hospitality Conference in Manchester is the biggest and boldest version yet.

Why Manchester, and why now?

Manchester is a proper hospitality city. It’s got culture, sport, music, nightlife, neighbourhoods with personality, and an energy that doesn’t try to be anything else. It’s also a city that understands placemaking, how the best venues, experiences and communities shape the way a place feels, not just how it looks on a brochure.

And it’s exactly the right stage for something we’re doing for the first time: The Hospitality Hero and Downtown in Business collaborating on stage.

That matters, because TAOH has always been about bridging gaps. Operators and suppliers. Independent brands and bigger players. Students and seasoned leaders. Public sector and private sector. TAOH is designed to bring those worlds together in a way that feels real, useful, and inspiring, not forced.

The big change: we’ve gone from free to paid

Let’s address it properly: yes, this one is priced. Tickets are £92 with our code HH40.

We’ve moved from free to paid for one reason: to make the experience better.

Your ticket now funds a bigger speaker line-up, stronger production, and more value on the day, from content you can actually use to the kind of networking that leads to real opportunities. We’ll still run free events where we can, but this format lets us raise the bar and allows TAOH to grow. 

We’re not doing The Great Art of Hospitality alone. We’re backed by brilliant partners, led by our headline sponsor, Godfrey Group, whose support is helping us bring this Manchester line-up to life at the level it deserves.

Who this conference is for:

If you’re just starting out and trying to find your place in hospitality, this is for you.

If you run a business and you’re trying to grow it, scale it, protect your culture, recruit better, or simply stay excited, this is for you.

If you’re a supplier, stakeholder, or someone who relies on the visitor economy, you need to be in this room.

And if you’re simply passionate about the future of hospitality and want to be around people who care as much as you do, you’ll find your people here.

This isn’t about pretending everything is perfect. It’s about building something better together.

The agenda: what’s happening on the day

You’ll get a full day of insight, stories, and honest conversation, with time built in for networking and lunch.

9:00am | Registration / Networking

10:00am | WelcomeSetting the tone for the day: what is happening in hospitality rn

10:10am | Beyond the Bar: The Role of Hospitality in City Placemaking

Speakers: Thom Hetherington (Landing Light), Abi Dunn (Sixty Eight People), Jamie Christon (Chester Zoo), Victoria Braddock (Marketing Manchester)This is the big picture stuff, but grounded in reality. Hospitality isn’t just “food and drink” it’s part of the infrastructure of great cities. This session looks at how hospitality, culture, leisure and experience shape visitor perception, local pride, footfall, investment, and long-term success. If you care about the future of town centres, destinations, and the visitor economy, this is unmissable.

10:45am | The Story of the Lumberjaxe

Speakers: Brendon & Jaydon Manders (Lumberjaxe)A proper founder story, the highs, the chaos, the graft, and what it really takes to build a brand people connect with. This is the sort of session that lights a fire under you, because it proves what’s possible when you back yourself and stay consistent.

11:15am | Coffee Break

Refuel, swap notes, meet someone new.

11:35am | The Political View

Speaker: Lisa Nandy MP

Hospitality doesn’t operate in a bubble. Policy, economics, skills, place, transport, high streets, it all impacts what we do. This is the wider lens: what’s happening, what’s changing, and what hospitality needs from decision-makers if we want the sector to be taken seriously and supported properly.

12:30pm | Lunch

Again: this is intentionally built in. The best conversations don’t always happen on stage.

1:30pm | Independent Spirit: The Power and Personality of Indie Hospitality and Scaling Up

Speakers: Matt Farrell (GSG Hospitality), Tomás Maunier (Fazenda), Myself (Savvy Hotels)This is where we get into the engine room: how independent hospitality wins. How you hold onto personality and culture while growing. How you scale without selling your soul. How you build something that lasts and doesn’t break you in the process.

2:15pm | The Power of Sport, Culture and Creativity in Driving Visitor Economies

Speaker: Louise Stewart (Chester Racecourse) and TBCSport and culture aren’t “nice-to-haves” , they’re powerful drivers of footfall and spending. This session looks at what destinations can learn from major venues and cultural anchors, and how hospitality can plug into that momentum in smarter, more collaborative ways.

3:00pm | Closing Remarks

Wrap-up, takeaways, and where the movement goes next.

This is bigger than one day

Here’s the truth: hospitality is at a crossroads. We’re battling recruitment challenges, rising costs, squeezed margins, changing consumer behaviors, and a public narrative that still doesn’t value the work properly. And yet, hospitality remains one of the best industries in the world for creativity, people development, confidence-building, and community.

TAOH exists to fight for that truth, loudly.

So yes, this is a conference. But it’s also a statement: that hospitality deserves respect, investment, and leadership. That the people behind it deserve celebration and support. And that if we want the industry to be better, we have to stop waiting for someone else to fix it and start building it together.

If you’ve ever said “hospitality needs to change” this is where you show up and be part of it.

Tickets are £92 with code HH40.

Get Your Tickets Here 

See you in Manchester.