CAPE TOWN, South Africa, 22 November 2018 –South Africa’s hospitality industry needs to undergo some fundamental changes to remain relevant and to keep up with the demands of a modern world, and in turn appeal to young industry professionals like millennials and the incoming generation Z.
These sentiments were revealed at a FEHDASA Cape Young Professionals segment event at the Fire and Ice Hotel inCape Town recently. The event joined young up and coming hospitalityprofessionals, and a panel of industry experts who discussed topics ofrelevance to the sector. The interactive session allowed particpants to shareviews on the state of the industry and suggest what needs to change to make wayfor the “new generation”. Further, it gave panellists the opportunity to share tips and advice on how to
“We had an interesting session, with new ideas on how the industry can be more adaptable to accommodate millennials and generation Z. We gained some perspective from roleplayers in the sector on how we need to develop ourselves in order to be more impactful and to stay ahead. Some incredibly valuable take-ins were shared,” said Ndaba Dube, chairperson of FEDHASA Cape’s Young Professionals segment.
A common thread during this event was that the hospitality industry needs to innovate holistically and include young, fresh thinkers with new ideas in their decision-making processes, which will help to re-shape the face of this industry.
“In the words of Jackie Joyner-Kersee: ‘it’s better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret’. As an industry we need to start with some introspection and proceed to make some of those changes now,” he said.
The panellists also stressed the importance of building and nurturing relationships with longstanding industry professionals for mentoring purposes, to bounce ideas off and sell potentially new creative ideas, to help pave young professionals’ careers in the sector even further. In addition, panellists also encouraged the industry to be less linear and to foster more collaborations with youngsters on topics and situations that would
Dube said the event gave young professionals an opportunity to establish a roadmap on where they’re going and how they need to get there, including the characteristics they need to nurture to move ahead in this industry. He highlighted them as passion, drive to succeeed, humility and balance.
“How we become effective and impactful is up to us, and if we need to shake things up a bit and do things differently, then now is the time,” Dube said.
To encourage ongoing dialogue between young professionals in the sector and to grow this segment, general managers from FEDHASA Cape’s member establishments have also signed a YoungProfessionals Pledge. In the pledge, GMs commit to signing-up a young professional from their respective establishments to join, actively support and develop the segment.
