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OHC2025
SPEAKER SESSION TOPICS
Note: Final session considerations are subject to change.
The State of the Industry and How it Affects your Business:
Hotel & Foodservice Segments
The hospitality landscape is in constant flux, and staying ahead of the curve is paramount for sustained success. This dynamic session will provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the hotel and foodservice industries, in Ontario and the Canada as a whole, analyzing the key trends, challenges, and opportunities.
Practical Use and Impact of AI Tools & Tech to Increase Guest Satisfaction and Revenue
This session will move beyond the hype to showcase tangible, real-world applications of AI and cutting-edge technology that are already delivering measurable results for hotels and foodservice businesses globally. We'll explore practical strategies for leveraging these innovations to elevate guest satisfaction and drive revenue in all type and sizes of hospitality operations.
Crime, Costs & Community:
Safeguarding Ontario’s Hospitality Industry
Rising crime and operational costs are putting pressure on hospitality businesses across Ontario. This session will explore real impacts on the industry, highlight safety and prevention strategies, and discuss effective approaches that businesses and stakeholders can implement to protect and support their operations and the industry.
Operating Foodservice Successfully in this New Environment:
Challenges, Opportunities and What You May Not Have Considered
The foodservice landscape has changed- and with it comes new challenges, fresh opportunities, and some overlooked factors that could impact your success. This session dives into what operators need to know now to adapt, innovate, and thrive in today’s evolving market including specific approaches to build sustainable success.
Redefining Hospitality Work:
How Today’s Younger Talent Is Redefining Hospitality Work and How Leaders Must Adapt
Val Upfold, one of the hospitality sector’s leading HR experts and executive recruiters will explore why it’s time to stop fighting this shift and start learning from it. She’ll show how forward-thinking hospitality brands are already winning the recruitment and retention game by understanding what they offer employees beyond pay alone; from flexibility to leadership pathways, to culture.
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Val will challenge the audience to see the current talent shift not as a threat but as an opportunity: to rebuild hospitality’s reputation, rethink what it means to be an employer of choice and make the industry more appealing to the next generation.
Navigating Uncertainty in Hospitality Agreements:
Lessons for Every Level of your Operation
From leases, franchising and partnership contracts, to operational basic supply agreements uncertainty is testing the strength of hospitality agreements. This session offers practical insights on managing risk, avoiding acceptance of renegotiating terms, and building flexibility into contracts to protect your business in unpredictable times.
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Whether you're entering a new deal, renewing an agreement, managing a legacy contract, or just starting work with a new supplier, this session will arm you with the tools and foresight to make smarter, more resilient business decisions.
The Lost Art of Recognizing and Adapting to Individual’s Personality Traits
In an era dominated by data and automation, the fundamental skill of understanding and adapting to individual personality traits often gets overlooked. This session revisits the timeless wisdom of recognizing diverse social sets and personality types, demonstrating how this "lost art" can be powerfully applied in today's hospitality environment to significantly enhance team performance, improve guest interactions, and ultimately drive organizational results.
Adapting to the Uncertain Business Environment:
The Impact of Global Uncertainty and US Policies on the Ontario Hospitality Market
This session explores the current and anticipated impacts of the global landscape and particularity how US policy since early 2025 affects Ontario's hospitality industry and specific strategies related to business adjustments that need to be considered and managed in these times.
The session will take a deep dive into how travel, consumer behavior, labour, and cost model change have affected the hospitality market and how they are expected to drive more change into the future. Understanding the key elements shaping change and what may happen next, will be used to frame key actions and considerations to guide your business planning approach going forward.