EDITOR'S COMMENT
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It was great to get out and about for our annual Recharge event in Belfast while meeting plenty of new people and reconnecting with familiar faces including sponsors and clients. Our sixth Recharge brought together attendees from across the hospitality and real estate spectrum for a curated agenda of property tours, networking and topical sessions that provided a healthy dose of optimism for the year ahead.
The sense of invigoration in the room at room2 Belfast was highlighted by the results of two audience polls we ran as part of our investor and developer panel, in which the speakers discussed the challenges and opportunities they are facing in buying, funding and delivering real estate across the living and hospitality sectors
When asked whether the fundamentals for investment and development would be better or worse in 12 months' time than they are now, 94 per cent of respondents predicted that they would be better, while the same figure also believed that their own business would grow [rather than contract or remain static] over the next 12 months. Cathy Reynolds, director city regeneration and development at Belfast City Council, was equally bullish about her city's prospects due to recent investment in infrastructure and hospitality, and her strategy to create a healthy, shared, vibrant and sustainable environment should serve as a strong model to replicate in other global cities in need of creative and long-lasting regeneration.
If you're still looking for more post-Recharge content, check out our event review here and follow this link to download Reynolds' presentation, plus more on the iconic Titanic Quarter and STR's insights into the latest hotel room rates and the ‘Taylor Swift effect’ in the USA.
• Don't miss our new STRz webinar series tomorrow at 4pm GMT as we explore 'Eyes on design: How to pique the interest of prospective guests' with a panel of industry experts. Speakers include Suzanne Edwards [Airbnb], Sidra Gross [Minty Living], Chris Osaka [Tomu] and Tatianna Taylor-Tait [Tatianna Taylor-Tait Ltd] - sign up now at no cost at this
link.
• Submit your no-cost entries now for the 2024 Shortyz Awards in as many of the 20 categories as you wish - including our new Team of the Year Award - by Monday 4 March at our dedicated platform
here. Click here for the overview of the categories and their criteria.
And for more information, read our advice article on how to craft the perfect Shortyz entry/ies at this link.
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• Please click here if you have a story you want us to tell the industry, or would like to be considered for a feature, podcast or webinar.
For more information and sponsorship / creative solutions advice, contact us at info@internationalhospitality.media.
