Key Takeaways from HIP 2024

We attended Spain's largest Hospitality event, HIP - Horeca Professional Expo this past week. 684 exhibitors, 757 international speakers and over 49,000 industry professionals were gathered at HIP and explored the latest trends and innovation in equipment, products and services. Our Livit Design team was invited to take part in top roundtable discussions, check out the key visions they shared!

Versatility and Team Development through Cross Training

Lucia Gual , our Chief People Officer, participated in the roundtable discussion on "The current role of the manager in effective personnel management" moderated by Angela Marianela Olivares Pulicci , General Manager at Linkers . The panel also included Sebastian Ifergan , Manager at Dani Brasserie , Marian Pérez García , Director of Human Relations at Grupo Moga and José Díaz, President at the International Tourism Coaching Consortium .

Lucía shared her perspective on the essential qualities of a manager to effectively lead teams, emphasizing the importance of being a multidisciplinary profile and having the ability to manage various aspects of the business. She also discussed how emerging trends, such as technology and sustainability, are impacting the Food & Beverage industry and the need to adapt to meet the changing demands of guests. Additionally, she highlighted the importance of providing managers with adequate tools so they can focus on aspects where they truly add value, such as team care and customer service.

"The team is ultimately the one that will create the guest experience. If the team has an appropriate employee experience and they are satisfied, then the experience they will convey to our diners and guests will also be ideal."

Furthermore, she addressed the concept of cross-training, explaining how this practice fosters team development, promotes empathy among different roles and prepares employees to cover various functions within the company.

Key Pillars for creating Food Concepts

Alberto de la Cámara , our Director of Design, participated in the roundtable discussion on "Successful Concepts in Food Delivery" along with Joel Serra Cárdenas , CEO at Squadra Pizza Lab , and Carlos Tomás Ferrer founder at OGUIS , moderated by Sònia Soldevila Busom , CEO at CONGUSTO CONSULTING .

Alberto emphasized that to create a successful concept, at Livit Design we work on three essential pillars: brand strategy, the business's operational model, and the guest experience.

He mentioned the emergence of new business opportunities focused on delivery and take-away, and how processes need to adapt and operations need to be optimized in different types of kitchens.

"It's essential to understand how the culinary proposition fits operationally in your kitchen and how the menu needs to adapt for travel."

He described innovative practices in places like the Middle East, where exclusive access is created for riders to ensure comfortable and discreet waiting, and kitchen processes are optimized to maximize efficiency, highlighting the importance of technology companies in improving both the guest and staff experiences. He mentioned the example of Future Ordering , a Swedish company that automates processes in order to reduce human errors in food delivery.

The user at the center, always

Maria Martínez-Conesa , our Creative Director was also part of the roundtable discussion on "Maximizing Dining Room Sales with New Marketing and Communication Tools" moderated by óscar Carrión , Director at Gastrouni . She was joined by Rafael Sandoval Sommelier at Restaurante Coque , Tania De Anta , Consultant at Eating Stories , Javier Gil, Consultant at Gastropodologia and Raquel Fructos , CEO at NEUROMENUS .

María spoke about the importance of deeply understanding who the guest is and how to position oneself before designing spaces that connect with them. She emphasized on the need to create values that position the company and to design with a purpose, in order to avoid arbitrary decisions.?

"If we place the guest at the center from the beginning and when conceptualizing a brand, we can define the guest journey and understand the various points of interactions with the brand. This enables us to identify and address any pain points or moments of truth, and turn them into something WOW and adds value."

Regarding the fundamental marketing keys for a restaurant's success, María mentioned the 3 Cs: coherence, consistency, and commitment. She explained how at Livit Design , these 3 Cs are applied to the essential pillars for creating or transforming a brand, in order to create unique and lasting experiences. The key to enduring over time is not to follow passing trends, but to focus on who the company is and put the guest at the center to ensure success.

"We all work together so that your product exudes an essence and doesn't just follow a trend, where you feel compelled to respond to it on a whim. Because that trend does not define who you are."