Education Day

Education Day

”Creating the Indispensable Concierge”

All delegates
Dress code: Business

Location: Hyatt Regency Sydney

“Creating the Indispensable Concierge”

Each year brings new trends and technologies that reshape the way we work. And each year brings us new
opportunities to improve our skills, align with emerging tech and trends, and bring an even higher level of service
to our guests and our hotels. For the past year, we’ve been on a journey of discovery…interviewing many of our
members and Les Clefs d’Or directors, as well as hospitality industry leaders, trend-setters, technologists,
influencers, and educators. The result is a truly exciting and comprehensive deep dive into the latest travel trends,
tech innovations, and insights that will shape the concierge profession and the broader hospitality sector today
and in the future. All in service to helping us become truly indispensable to our guests and hotels.

The Education & Training Committee in partnership with Education Day sponsor Alliants, is proud to present this
program and invite you to engage in the conversation. By the end of the day, our goal is for you to walk away with
actionable, reusable metrics and an enhanced sense of confidence in promoting our indispensability as a Les Clefs
d’Or Concierge.

Bill Brichta of Shape Strategies, a business and innovation consultancy, was engaged to help discover these insights
through many interviews with our members and respected industry giants.

Shannon McCallum, VP Hotel Operations, Resorts World Las Vegas
Tristan Gadsby, CEO and Co- Founder, Alliants
Shane O’Flaherty, Global Director: Travel, Transportation & Hospitality, Microsoft
Gregor Vogel, VP Product, SiteMinder Australia
Stuart Greif, Exec VP, Chief Strategy, Innovation & Operating Officer, Forbes Travel Guide
Jordan Kestle, Head of International Projects, SHL Schweizerische Hotelfachschule Luzern
Sarah Dandashy, Hospitality Influencer
Marco P. Nijhof, Director of Hospitality & Guest Experience, Value Retail Management Ltd.
Brian Mackenzie, 1st Vice President, Netherlands
Renata Cury Farha, 3rd Vice President, Brazil
Roderick Levejac, Committee des Sages, France
Florian Mugg, Central Europe Zone Director, Austria
Virpi Vidal, Scandinavia Zone Director, Membership Committee Chair, Finland
Nella Mirante, CSR Corporate & Social Responsibility Committee Chair, Canada
Gregor Maximilian Köck, Les Clefs d’Or Award Committee Chair, Austria
Mayako Sumiyoshi, Past President Japan and Past Zone Director SEAO, Japan
Michael Romei, Chef Concierge, Mandarin Hotel NYC; CEO, Creating Service Magic Hospitality

During the Education Day in Sydney, Bill Brichta along with a team of outstanding guest presenters will take us on
an experiential journey of learning that will help move us from beloved, helpful and knowledgeable concierges to
being truly indispensable. The interactive morning sessions will have us exploring the opportunities ahead of us
and important pathways of becoming indispensable, including how to Think Like an Owner® as we learn directly
from hoteliers.

Education Day continues as we explore emerging trends in hospitality that are becoming important factors shaping
our future, allowing us to innovate our skills. Our presenters for this section are Tristan Gadsby, speaking about AI,
and Gregor Vogel and Jordan Kestle talking about how our own approach to innovation in a time of technological
change will help us grow stronger in the future.

After our very successful introduction in Madrid, we’re excited to have two members present through our “KEY
Talks” segments. Rodolfo Parra and Michelle Exarhos will share their insights and knowledge on issues that touch
our world every day.

Our afternoon sessions introduce us to a truly innovative idea in self-discovery, along with two exciting and
interactive workshops that will help us put all the information we’ve learned into memorable and useful strategies
we can use when we get back to our homes and hotels.

The first workshop is called “Self-Discovery” where we explore our superpowers and build scenarios on how our
self-discovery will impact our own personal growth, goals and skills, bringing new dimensions of service to our
guests and hotels. Our guest presenters along with the members of the Education Committee will circulate around
the room as conversations and creative thinking occurs, stepping in to offer insightful suggestions and
encouragement. The workshop culminates in three group presentations sharing what we’ve learned together and
how this information can make concierges truly indispensable even in an age of emerging AI advancements.
The second workshop is called “How We Innovate,” where we bring trend knowledge, Thinking Like an Owner, and
our new personalized self-discovery together to ideate and innovate new ways to build great guest experiences
once we return to our desks. We’ll build programs around what we’ll do differently after our Sydney Congress,
how we’ll communicate differently to our hotel management and our guests, and how a better understanding of
our relationship to emerging technology can be a tool to provide the kind of personalized service that’s been in our
blood from the very start. Again, our guest presenters will help us along the path to innovation and discovery. This
workshop also culminates in four group presentations sharing our visions moving forward.

SUMMARY:
Beloved. Ingenious. Knowledgeable. Helpful. Welcoming. Les Clefs d’Or® members are known to be all these things
for our guests and hotels in cities and countries worldwide. But there’s one accolade each member must reach to
be truly valued and relevant to a traveler’s experience, and that’s…indispensable. We’re excited to share our
thinking with you, our esteemed guests and our hotel leadership once we return home.

The Education & Training Committee wishes you an enriching and productive day. #LesClefsdOrEdu

09:00 Welcome by Education Committee

The Indispensable Concierge with Bill Brichta, Jayne Lyons and Tristan Gadsby

Trends Shaping our Future with Bill Brichta, Gregor Vogel and Jordan Kestle

KEY Talks with Michelle Exarhos and Rodolfo Parra

12:30 – 13:30 Lunch

Discovering your Authentic Self with Bill Brichta

Workshop facilitated by Jordan Kestle and Heather Byron

17:00 Conclusion of the Education Day