Theme and Speakers

Conference Theme and Keynote Speakers

RAISING THE BAR FOR 2012

At a time when the Higher Education Sector is facing the most significant change for decades, many Universities are looking at how they maximise their catering operations in supporting the student experience and maximising revenue. The main theme for the TUCO 2012 Conference will be "Raising the Bar for 2012". The academic program will focus on improving motivation and performance for individuals and teams. The conference will give delegates a set of transferable skills that can be used to develop themselves and their teams to meet the challenges they will face in the coming years as student expectation increases with the introduction of increased fees. Delegates will also notice that the conference will use the theme of the Olympics to deliver an achievement and performance focused agenda. The conference will take the format of a business program with specialist key note speakers and workshops delivered by professionals from the industry.

We are pleased to announce the following conference keynote speakers:

Sally Gunnell OBE | Legendary European, World, Commonwealth and Olympic Champion Athlete and Broadcaster.

Sally Gunnell needs no introduction; she holds a place in the hearts of the nation as one of the most popular sportswomen of our times, and our most successful. For a number of years Sally has been motivating audiences from wide range of organisations at meetings, seminars and conferences around the globe. We are looking forward to Sally delivering a motivational keynote focussed on setting goals for success through inspirational leadership.

Jim Lawless | Acknowledged Expert on Change and Team Motivation.

Jim Lawless is one of the most inspirational and highly sought after business speakers in Europe. He is the only authority on change and personal development to have put his life on the line to prove his theories. He put his goal setting principles in practice by going from a 36 year old, 12 stone, smoking, drinking, (and non riding) business consultant to a 9 stone jockey competing in his first televised race in just 12 months. Jim studied the relationship between communication and leadership and with his unusual combination of experiences led to his very successful training company being formed.

Jim will be delivering an entertaining and practical keynote which will give delegates a new set of possibilities and responsibilities; change their ideas about what they can achieve and send them out excited about making a difference. He will inspire peak performance - at work or at home and will bring a fresh approach to personal and business communications.

Pete Cohen | Business Consultant and Best Selling Author

Drawing on his talent as a life strategist, human behaviourist, health and fitness professional, motivational speaker, business consultant and best selling author, Pete has not only established himself firmly as one of the top names in the personal development field, but is also fast becoming a top name in broadcasting and publishing. Pete demonstrates his incredible understanding of people and the limitations they have which prevent them from living more productive and happy lives. His fun motivational techniques and strategies are used in a way to help people control their own well being and realise their full potential. Pete is able to make Life Coaching visual and tangible, his techniques are inspirational and fun and his ability to apply them to any issue and situation in need of addressing makes watching Pete work addictive and exciting. We will be looking forward to Pete presenting these ideas to delegates through his keynote.

Ed Bussey | Serial internet entrepreneur, international digital media expert and wilderness enthusiast.

Over the past decade Ed Bussey has been responsible for the successful launch of three start up companies. Prior to this Ed held the position of Chief Operating Officer at ZYB, with responsibility for marketing, business development and operations. A former officer in the Royal Navy, Ed has completed many successful mountaineering expeditions and endurance events including an unsupported expedition to the North Pole in 2010. We will look forward to Ed reflecting on his life experiences during his keynote and provide delegates with some useful strategies for developing business and achieving the most out of their target markets. Conference organiser Richard Mc Gloin commented, "you can see from the top class speakers we have chosen that the emphasis will be on personal development with motivation, team building and increasing performance at the forefront of the business agenda". The speakers have been chosen for their ability to deliver specific techniques that people can use to develop themselves and others within their teams. Four workshops are also planned with topics as diverse as making more money from beverages, making the most of local foods, making your bars more profitable and top level sales planning. Food and drink trends in the USA often influence the UK market and Nona Golledgethe, President of NACUFS which is the American equivalent of TUCO will speak to the conference on how Universities and Colleges in North America are planning for the future. Given the increased financial challenges that many institutions face, the conferences trade exhibition of over fifty suppliers will allow delegate to start preparing their service and sales plans for the coming academic year.