The Isle of Man Chamber of Commerce Visitor Economy Committee is to host a second Manx Hospitality Day on the theme of ‘Excellence in Customer Service 365’ on Thursday 14th April from 1.30 – 5pm at the Best Western Palace Hotel & Casino.

The event, which is free to attend, is open to all those involved in the hospitality industry, or who welcome visitors to the Isle of Man, and is designed to encourage an “excellence as standard” approach within the Island’s tourist trade. Attendees will also be able to update their knowledge of key information to help visitors enjoy their stay, develop their skills and passion for the industry and network with other key partners in the visitor sector.

Included in the programme for the afternoon are sessions from Mark Wilson of Sleepwell Hotels who already uses excellence as standard as a mission statement for his business, Jamie Blair of Roots Beverage Company who will talk about how he has been inspired by local producers and Carl Haworth of Haworths at the Regency Hotel who will discuss the value of experience versus qualification. Inspirational speaker Sue Gee of TLC Business Solutions will present on self-motivation and how businesses can make a positive difference to the visitor experience. A trade exhibition which includes a number of local activity providers will run in tandem with the event.

Sara Richards, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce Visitor Economy Committee, said: “Following the success of last year’s inaugural event, which drew over 180 attendees and 19 local exhibitors, it was clear the Manx Hospitality Day is a great opportunity for those involved in the Island’s visitor economy to come together and share their experiences on how the Isle of Man can best attract, retain and expand increase the number of visitors to our shores.

“Excellent customer service enhances the visitor experience which helps the industry grow. Its success is dependent on the dedicated staff employed in the industry to deliver that service and a further objective of the Manx Hospitality Day is to raise the profile of hospitality as a chosen career path. We hope local businesses will bring along as many of their team as they can.”

Mark Wilson, Managing Director of Sleepwell Hotels which includes The Claremont, the only 4-star Gold status hotel on the Island, added: “The recently agreed Isle of Man Visitor Destination plan aims to increase visitor numbers to the Isle of Man by 20% by 2020. That’s a very bold target and to achieve it the Island will need to concentrate on the family and Short Break visitors, which have been identified as potential growth areas for 2016, as well as promoting its important niche markets around heritage such as the railways, walking, dark skies and so on.

“The message we need to get across is that the Isle of Man is a great place to come and have a wonderful time doing activities. If we can capitalise on this by offering excellence in our service, wherever we interact with visitors along the way, we are likely to see an increase in numbers and repeat business that will be good for the whole economy.”

Anyone wishing to attend the Manx Hospitality Day should email julie.stephens@iomchamber.org.im .

Photo: Speakers from the inaugural event in 2015 - Phil Taylor (Rock Food Concepts), Jane Urquhart (Jane Urquhart Ltd), Dr Michelle Heywood (Discover Diving), Jessica Brown (Ashgrove Marketing), Edmund Southworth (Manx National Heritage), Mary Wilson (IOM College of Further & Higher Education),Georgie Revill and Beth Martin (Manx Plough to Plate)