Our Story
The Art of Hospitality Conference was founded in November 2023 in Liverpool, created with a clear mission to change the way people view the hospitality industry in the UK and save it, whilst engaging, collaborating and joining up our Industry Network.
As our founder Steven Hesketh puts it:
“I’ve always been an advocate and on this mission to change the perception of hospitality. I understand that I cannot do this alone, this is where The Art of Hospitality began. I wanted to create a space where people could learn from the successes of others to help grow their businesses, strengthen our industry, and support British tourism. Our industry contributes £93 billion to the UK economy, yet it’s often undervalued, this needs to change, and we believe we can do it, one conference at a time.”
What We Do!
Since the first event, we’ve hosted conferences in Liverpool, Chester, and Manchester, welcoming hundreds of guests and are building a growing community of hospitality professionals, entrepreneurs, and supporters.
Each conference is unique, with industry and wider Business leading professionals taking the stage to share their experiences and insights.
These sessions include live Q&As, giving attendees the chance to ask questions, seek advice, and engage directly with the speakers, completely free of charge. This format ensures each event is rich in practical value and real-world relevance, especially for new and independent business owners.
Our past speakers and panelists have included:
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Dani Wallace, founder of The Big Festoon and motivational speaker
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Sacha Lord, co-founder of Parklife Festival and advocate for hospitality
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Sally Abe, Michelin-starred chef and MasterChef contestant.
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We’ve previously featured a range of panels and discussions tailored to current challenges and trends in the industry, such as:
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Young Persons Panel – exploring how the next generation perceives hospitality and how it’s evolving.
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Sustainability panels – focusing on environmental responsibility in operations
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IT and technology panels – exploring digital tools, systems, and guest experience innovation
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BID discussions – with members of Business Improvement Districts explaining how levy funds are used and their impact on local businesses
No two conferences are the same, we tailor our content to reflect the issues that matter most at the time, in the locations we visit.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking to grow, or simply passionate about the future of hospitality, The Art of Hospitality offers inspiration, insight, and a sense of community.
This is more than a conference. It’s a movement, one that’s reshaping the narrative around hospitality and championing the people behind it.
Peter Schrwiersmann
Happy Days Group - Director
"Stevens passion for the education piece and for inspiring people to do better, particularly in this industry shines through with everything that he says. I think he chooses his words very carefully, he puts things across ever so eloquently and I know he actually means what he says as well, it doesn’t just sound good which is a really big thing.
Ever since I meet Steven, despite the fact that we come from quite different backgrounds, we have always had a real amount of mutual respect and listen to each others view on things. To come together under this umbrella now and to deliver training, education and advice for hospitality professionals across Merseyside and Chester, I think it’s a logical next stop for someone like Steven"
Elliot Hill
Chester Grosvenor – Executive Chef
"A really exciting day and a lovely day for lots of people in different walks of Hospitality to come together and put our heads together and think how to move forward. Be lovely to do more networking and event and nice to know that we are not the only ones going through hard times and not the only psychopaths who really enjoy it either and lovely to see"
Katherine Jones
Think Wine Group – Director
"Wow, what an inspirational day it was and to meet so many inspirational people under one roof. It was a great day from start to finish and we networked. There were so many people that I knew but also, so many people that I didn’t know that I was able to meet today that I’ve actually spoken to on LinkedIn but have not yet met in person.
All the speakers were just phenomenal, I can’t wait to attend another one of these events and think it’s just the beginning!"
Testimonials
Izzy Grey
We Love Good Times - Director
"What an absolutely incredible event, there was so many elements which I certainly didn’t expect but were all so on topic and everybody would have learnt something fantastic or so many things from today and it’s done a huge amount to further improve relations between Chester and Liverpool and we need to do a lot more of that. Brilliant."
Jamie Wray
Way to WOW – Managing Director
"Today's event, The Art of Hospitality was absolutely brilliant. Lots to take away from it and really educational for everyone around. I think Steven was brilliant and definitely look forward to some more coming event from The Hospitality Hero and what a great day"
Steve Ogen
Chester Grosvenor – General Manager
"A great day today, bringing all the experts of hospitality together and sharing some good stories that we can take back and use in our businesses to help us move forward"