ARENA 6 | Hospitality CHRISTMAS Today EVENT | Christmas 2016 / January 2017
Kevin Watson ,
MD of Amadeus
The Arena 2016 calendar of events reached its finale at The Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel on Monday 5th December . An upbeat atmosphere surrounded The Arena Christmas Event , which welcomed over 150 foodservice and hospitality professionals for a day of insight , food and wine , and the opportunity to connect with industry colleagues and friends .
That morning , Peter Backman , MD of Horizons , gave a presentation on foodservice trends ( see p14 ).
With plenty of food for thought , attendees continued the debate throughout the drinks reception , where they also had the opportunity to sample canapés courtesy of Invest Northern Ireland and its chosen suppliers , and into the ballroom where executive chef Simon Young and his brigade served three-course lunch matched with fine wines by Matthew Clark .
Kevin Watson , the Managing Director of Amadeus , entertained and inspired the audience with a post-lunch address that gave a real insight into the five-year evolution of Amadeus since he joined the business - growing from a publicly-owned £ 25m business into a now privatelyowned £ 43m business with a 208 % growth in profit .
Amadeus is part of the NEC group , which just two years ago was owned by Birmingham City Council . 99 % of revenues