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Evening set to mark a year of GSWS initiative

14 Jun 2011

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More than 200 people, including an impressive range of key business people and stakeholders, are looking forward to an inspirational evening at a Glasgow Service with Style event.
Taking place at the Scottish Youth Theatre in the Merchant City, the special One Year on Event will mark the significant success of the first year of the acclaimed Glasgow Tourism Service Initiative.
The event promises a fantastic line-up of guest speakers, including internationally renowned hospitality leader Amanda Hyndman, and provides an excellent opportunity for business leaders from the hospitality and tourism-related sectors across the city to network. 
Yesterday, Stella Callaghan, of GSWS, said: “We’re all delighted by the success so far of the Glasgow Service with Style initiative and we’re looking forward to further results and progress in the year to come.
“The One Year On event that will mark the achievements of a city-wide initiative responsible for raising service standards across Glasgow’s visitor experience.
“It’s fantastic that so many city partners, tourism business leaders and a host of key people are coming along to join in the special evening.”
Leading the speakers tonight will be Amanda Hyndman, the former General Manager of Glasgow’s Copthorne Hotel, who has returned from working in the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC to be at the event.
Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, and Jill Farrell, of Scottish Enterprise, will also be announcing the latest achievements of Glasgow’s Service with Style project. 
The results include:
• The delivery of more than 70 training programmes and events
• The engagement of 346 businesses across the city.
• 1565 individuals completing the high quality training in a city-wide programme that is stimulating the city’s workforce. 
The initiative has been successful in targeting all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry across Glasgow, and has achieved significant engagement from hotels and restaurants, visitor attractions, retail, arts venues, and leisure facilities. 
Opportunities through Glasgow Service with Style have seen uptake from those responsible for service, from senior management teams to kitchen porters, to ensure that Glasgow presents world-class service and leaves a lasting impression upon the city’s visitors. 
The Initiative has also run an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges, promoting tourism and hospitality as a first choice career.
In its first year, Glasgow Service with Style has been designated an Official Legacy Project for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, with 10,000 people across the city committed to the newly developed Glasgow Welcomes customer service training programme.  
The course has been adopted by larger businesses and organisations, including John Lewis and Glasgow Life, and smaller companies such as the Mackintosh-designed Willow Tearooms.
Amanda, who trained in Glasgow and became a Business Crusader for Scottish Enterprise and a Director of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Glasgow City Centre Association, said: “I applaud the excellent work undertaken by Glasgow Service with Style who have helped mobilise the city in terms of high quality hospitality and tourism training which is key to the visitor experience.” 
The Glasgow Tourism Service Initiative ‘Glasgow Service with Style’ is supported by the Glasgow Tourism Strategy Group (Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland) and Skills Development Scotland, and funded by Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Glasgow city partners. Their aim is to grow tourism in Glasgow through strong leadership, collaborative working and innovation.
Graeme Gibson, Chair of Glasgow Service with Style, is also looking forward to this evening’s event. He said: “Over the past year Glasgow Service with Style has delivered high quality training programmes and events for a huge number of companies and individuals in the city.
“We support a people development culture in Glasgow’s tourism sector through demonstrating the clear business benefits of investing in people, and addressing service standards and skills gaps and shortages, all of which are traditional bug bears of the Scottish tourism industry. 
“We are delighted that a year after launching this initiative we have already worked successfully in partnership with so many businesses and individuals to raise the service standards throughout the city.” 

More than 200 people, including an impressive range of key business people and stakeholders, are looking forward to an inspirational evening at a Glasgow Service with Style event.

Taking place at the Scottish Youth Theatre in the Merchant City tonight, the special One Year on Event will mark the significant success of the first year of the acclaimed Glasgow Tourism Service Initiative.

The event promises a fantastic line-up of guest speakers, including internationally renowned hospitality leader Amanda Hyndman, and provides an excellent opportunity for business leaders from the hospitality and tourism-related sectors across the city to network. 

Yesterday, Stella Callaghan, of GSWS, said: “We’re all delighted by the success so far of the Glasgow Service with Style initiative and we’re looking forward to further results and progress in the year to come.

“The One Year On event will mark the achievements of a city-wide initiative responsible for raising service standards across Glasgow’s visitor experience.

“It’s fantastic that so many city partners, tourism business leaders and a host of key people are coming along to join in the special evening.”

Leading the speakers tonight will be Amanda Hyndman, the former General Manager of Glasgow’s Copthorne Hotel, who has returned from working in the prestigious Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Washington DC to be at the event.

Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, and Jill Farrell, of Scottish Enterprise, will also be announcing the latest achievements of Glasgow’s Service with Style project. 

The results include:
• The delivery of more than 70 training programmes and events

• The engagement of 346 businesses across the city

• 1565 individuals completing the high quality training in a city-wide programme that is stimulating the city’s workforce. 

The initiative has been successful in targeting all sectors of the hospitality and tourism industry across Glasgow, and has achieved significant engagement from hotels and restaurants, visitor attractions, retail, arts venues, and leisure facilities. 

The opportunities offered through Glasgow Service with Style have been enthusiastically embraced by staff at all levels, from senior management teams to kitchen porters.

The Initiative has also run an extensive programme for young people in schools and colleges, promoting tourism and hospitality as a first choice career.

In its first year, Glasgow Service with Style has been designated an Official Legacy Project for the 2014 Commonwealth Games, with 10,000 people across the city committed to the newly developed Glasgow Welcomes customer service training programme.  

The course has been adopted by larger businesses and organisations, including John Lewis and Glasgow Life, and smaller companies such as the Mackintosh-designed Willow Tearooms.

Amanda Hyndman, who trained in Glasgow and became a Business Crusader for Scottish Enterprise and a Director of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Glasgow City Centre Association, said: “I applaud the excellent work undertaken by Glasgow Service with Style, which has helped to mobilise the city in terms of high quality hospitality and tourism training."

The Glasgow Tourism Service Initiative "Glasgow Service with Style" is supported by the Glasgow Tourism Strategy Group – comprising Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland – and Skills Development Scotland.

The project is funded by Scottish Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland and the Glasgow city partners. Their aim is to grow tourism in Glasgow through strong leadership, collaborative working and innovation.

Graeme Gibson, Chair of Glasgow Service with Style, is also looking forward to this evening’s event. He said: “Over the past year Glasgow Service with Style has delivered high quality training programmes and events for a huge number of companies and individuals in the city.

“We support a people development culture in Glasgow’s tourism sector through demonstrating the clear business benefits of investing in people, and addressing service standards and skills gaps and shortages, all of which are traditional bug bears of the Scottish tourism industry. 

“We are delighted that a year after launching this initiative we have already worked successfully in partnership with so many businesses and individuals to raise the service standards throughout the city.”