We’re excited to announce that registration is NOW OPEN for our annual frontline success summit!

The Frontline Success Summit is happening Wednesday, November 9th, 2022, at 11 am EST

Mark your calendars and register for the Frontline Success Summit here. 

This 3-hour virtual summit is packed with actionable takeaways to help leaders activate frontline success programs in their organizations.

Over the past decade, Beekeeper has worked with companies all over the world to empower and enable their frontline workforces. At our core, Beekeeper is more than the technology we build. We’ve grown into a global team of advocates, consultants, and experts in what drives frontline teams forward. We’re gathering top industry leaders together to share actionable ways they maximize the success of their frontline workforces.

Frontline leaders are asking questions like:

• How can I attract and retain frontline workers?
• How does our company survive the next disruption?
• What are the best frontline hiring strategies?
• How do I include my diverse frontline teams in company communication?
• How can I maximize productivity while improving the overall employee experience for frontline workers?

Summit attendees will get answers to these important questions, and discover how companies are leveraging technology to enhance the frontline experience! 

Our CEO, Cris Grossmann, and Chief Product Officer, Kees de Vos will kick us off with a keynote speech on how to solve the great frontline disconnect. And why companies must act NOW to address this problem and prioritize frontline success in 2023. 

We’ve got an incredible lineup of experts and thought leaders who will inspire you to take action to drive success in your frontline organization! 

They include:

• Ed Gallier, Jury’s Inn, Head of Learning and Development
• Jesse Antonio, Resorts World Las Vegas, Assistant Director – Team Member Engagement
• Alex Barber, Frontline Sidekicks, Frontline Leadership Expert
• Heinrich Supthut, ABB, Manufacturing Manager – Local Division System Drives
• Stephanie Töltsch, Bründl Sports, Personal Marketing
• Meral Kamci, Butlers, Head of Sales and Administration
• Brianne Hoffman, MasTec, Sr. Marketing & Communications Principal
• Tamara Palmer, Flagger Force, Internal Communications Manager – Marketing

These are real frontline leaders who are actively making positive changes in their organizations on a daily basis sharing real tips for real-world scenarios. Our goal is for every attendee to walk away from our summit with a list of actionable ideas they can implement in their organizations the next day. 

There’s something for everyone at the Frontline Success Summit—including IT, HR, Operations, and Executives. 

Our agenda will include sessions on:

• Frontline Disconnect
• Attracting & Retaining Top Talent
• The Future of Frontline Work
• Adapting to the Speed of Change in a Frontline World (in German)
• Creating a Frontline-First Employee Experience
• Frontline Trends and Predictions for 2023
• Flexible Learning & Development for the Frontline

Finally, Beekeeper’s VP of Customer Success Shawn Lim will close the event out with our Frontline Hero Awards where we’ll honor a frontline worker who’s gone above and beyond for their community. 

Join us!

Click here to register for the Frontline Success Summit.

The post Announcing Our 2022 Frontline Success Summit! 🎉 appeared first on Beekeeper.

They touched on the hot topics affecting hospitality today, including the labor shortage, compliance, employee engagement, and the importance of transparency and communication that reaches everyone.

The panelists included: 

• Kelly Blaggie, Director of HR at the Breakers Palm Beach
• Dan Waite, SVP of People and Culture for Makeready and Former Vice President, People Operations at SH Hotels & Resorts
• Jamie Blake, CFO at Huse Culinary

Why Beekeeper?

Each panelist shared ways that they use Beekeeper and how the platform has benefited their organizations. At SH Hotels & Resorts, an international luxury hotel group, Beekeeper connects all levels of the company. “For me, it was about flattening the organization,” said Dan Waite. “You can have your president or CEO communicate with a room attendant in real-time.” 

For Huse Culinary, an upscale restaurant group in Indianapolis, communication across its different restaurant groups and employees was difficult. Only salaried employees had company email. Now, they reach all 700 team members on a single platform. “From our standpoint, it creates one point of dialogue,” said CFO Jamie Blake. “We use the chat feature quite a bit. The employees trust it more. Nobody answers their phone anymore. Most of the employees don’t answer emails anymore. Those are outdated technologies in their minds.”

At The Breakers Palm Beach, a 126-year-old majestic resort right on the sand of Palm Beach, Florida, “We created streams for each one of the departments,” Kelly Blaggie said. “And also we have a resort stream so we have continual communication between all departments and within those departments. We utilize it for reaching out, engagement, surveys, and polls to keep the team members engaged.” 

Quick Pick Quote:
“This year we turned on quarterly check-ins and annual reviews which has been a really great opportunity for employees to interact more directly with their supervisors.”

-Jamie Blake, CFO at Huse Culinary

How Technology Like Beekeeper Can Make Life Easier for HR

The panel all agreed that having a mobile-first communication tool to connect their large hospitality workforces has been good for everyone, especially HR. “Our HR department has seen their work decrease and they have more effective communication with the employees,” Jamie chimed in.

“Our HR team is probably more engaged than it’s ever been because of Beekeeper.” 

At The Breakers Palm Beach, providing workers with information and useful features, like Beekeeper Forms, has reduced HR’s workload. “It answers all of the questions that a team member might have,” said Kelly. “It eliminates the need to go to HR or go to the manager to ask those questions.” 

Beekeeper has helped The Breakers Palm Beach HR team forge connections with the staff, too. People have their photos on Beekeeper, which has helped “to put a face to a name.”

“We have 2200 team members, and when you’re walking down the hall and you see somebody from the back of the house and you can recognize where they work and what they do it makes the human resources side of life easier.”

Employee Engagement

And of course, employee engagement came up throughout the Q+A. Panelists shared the top tips on using Beekeeper to engage team members.

“Keeping the energy level going is actually pretty easy if you utilize it in the correct way of not just notifications of what’s happening on the property but acknowledging somebody who just received a promotion, somebody who just had a baby, or it’s somebody’s birthday. When people see their name in lights on the screen they get excited,” Kelly said.

“It really is about the culture of your organization and what your organization wants to be for its employees. Is it strictly a job or is it a place to support their life goals, both economically and about family?” Jamie asked. “I think Beekeeper provides a lot of tools that allow you to cross over all of those spectrums.”

Quick Pick Quote:
“When you survey your employees, probably the top 1, 2 or 3 on the employees survey in terms of what they’re dissatisfied with and what can be improved as an organization is almost always communication and transparency amongst the organization. This tool allows you to do that much more effectively than more traditional methodologies.” 

-Jamie Blake, CFO Huse Culinary

From a No-Phone Policy to a “Smart” Phone Policy

In customer-facing businesses, a no-cell phone policy is not uncommon. So how do companies moderate cell phone usage when they’ve asked their employees to use a mobile productivity tool on personal devices?

“We had a no cell phone policy until Beekeeper came about. And I think it’s all about the training and education on when to utilize it and when not to utilize it,” said Kelly. “A team member is empowered to go up to a guest and assist them and right there you can solve the guest’s problem.”

Jamie added, “Once you empower the employees to say you trust them to use their phone in an appropriate way, the whole dynamic of cell phone use and scurrying behind corners to go use it went away.”

Why Hospitality Companies Should Invest in a Mobile Communication Solution

When asked why hospitality companies should invest in technology, each panelist had a lot of great things to say! 

“What’s the cost of not engaging your employees?” Jamie asked. “They need to feel like they’re not just a number or an employee, but they’re part of the organization.” He added that we’re “in a time where hiring employees is harder than it’s ever been, retaining employees is difficult, and there’s so much competition out there.” 

“The culture will always exist, it’s just whether it’s by default or by design,” said Dan. “Being able to communicate a message and have a common language and consistency really creates a culture.”

Kelly answered,

“Communication was one of the top three issues in the company for years. And once we implemented Beekeeper we were almost able to eliminate that because communication is at your fingertips, and resources are at your fingertips. It allows a team member to not have to go out of their way to get information. It’s right there for them and it just supports our overall culture of transparency.”

Final Words of Wisdom

As the panel came to a close, Andrada asked for any last thoughts or pieces of advice. Kelly offered this: “Beekeeper connects everybody regardless of what position you are in the hotel or what language you speak. It connects everybody and I think that’s so crucial to being a human and being a team member.”

“In HR, people tend to forget that as nice as we are, sometimes we forget how intimidating it is to walk into the HR office. That it’s like going to the principal’s office,” Dan said.

Jamie reflected on technology’s role in rebuilding the hospitality workforce. “I think the kind of post-pandemic recovery, especially in the restaurant industry and hospitality where there’s an exodus of employees and staff. How we are going to rebuild those team members is going to be through engagement and making them feel comfortable and valued as stewards of the organization,” he said. “Beekeeper really gave us the platform to really put our money where our mouth is and show them we’re here with you.”

With Beekeeper, you can implement effective employee training methods that help your business thrive.  Talk to one of our experts to learn more about what we can do for you, or download our Frontline Worker Technology Report below.

The post Hospitality Experts Share Insights on Engagement, Culture, Technology, and at HRIH! appeared first on Beekeeper.

As part of the program, the four candidates will collaborate with Beekeeper customers and benefit from our team’s expertise and insights into frontline work to speed up their go-to-market and product/market fit. After integrating their innovative solutions into Beekeeper, customers have the opportunity to test the proof of value in a 3-month, free-of-charge trial phase. The overall goal is to create a joint success story where the startups’ integration gets listed on Beekeeper’s Marketplace. 

Without further ado, here are the final four!

1. Ario Connect

Remote assistance from everywhere at any time – Cut downtime by 20%, eliminate human error and enhance guidance and collaboration with Ario Connect.

The Ario Connect integration in Beekeeper offers two-way video calls enhanced with Augmented Reality to provide remote assistance with ease.

With this integration, frontline workers in manufacturing and construction can get assistance at the right moment and context from teammates anywhere at any time. 

Callers can visually interact in real-time by drawing, placing directional symbols for live instructions, sharing 3D models that indicate or explain specific parts of equipment and chat to communicate clearly independent of the noise level. The Augmented Reality-powered collaboration tool allows for remote guidance when performing tricky tasks in maintaining or operating machinery.

2. EduMe

Market-leading mobile-based training platform for the deskless workforce – Reduce time to productivity by 20% for new employees with EduMe.

EduMe is the biggest training platform designed for the deskless workforce. With access to Edume’s bite-sized training sessions, frontline employees get the knowledge and training needed to succeed. Employees can access courses instantly through chat, posts or any other communication channel of Beekeeper. Admins can easily broadcast training initiatives to specific teams, roles, locations or the entire company. 

3. Haris Digital

Improve production machine efficiency by up to 20% and maximize your manufacturing output with Haris Digital.

Haris Digital captures real-time data and key manufacturing metrics to prevent future downtime and maximize manufacturing outputs. Their easy-to-install wireless Bluetooth sensors provide accurate, real-time data streams from any production machine. Their system collects and visualizes the key manufacturing metrics and automatically triggers machine status alerts through chatbots or reports in Beekeeper.  

4. Wisy

Retail has never been more intelligent – Increase retail efficiency by at least 25% by automating tasks with Wisy.

With Wisy, Beekeeper customers in retail and CPG can upgrade their legacy retail to intelligent retail. Automate planogram checks with image recognition and real-time insights to generate smart tasks at points-of-sales for frontline workers. Workers can simply take a picture or video of a shelf with their smartphone. The seamless link to Wisy’s AI generates real-time analytics reports that simplify the demand forecast, share of shelf, product assortment, a new competing product, pricing analytics, missing or misplaced products, out-of-stock, and/or wrong pricing. With this Beekeeper integration, customers in retail or CPG can reduce loss, sell more effectively and boost their revenue through optimizing management. 

Learn more about participating startups and the Beekeeper Acceleration Program. 

We are already open for new applications for the upcoming Winter Cycle Acceleration Program 2021/22. Apply now!

The post Boosting The Innovation Of Tomorrow – Meet The Four Participants of the Acceleration Program Summer Cycle 2021 appeared first on Beekeeper.

The road to recovery seems simple: hire back furloughed employees who are waiting to come back to their old positions.

The reality isn’t as straightforward. Conditions and expectations have changed, both for hotel management and staff. We’ll be taking a look at the current challenges in hiring employees and what hotels can do to navigate them successfully.

At Beekeeper’s first Frontline Future 2021 virtual summit, one session dove into the topic of hiring and retention in the new normal, how hotels can adapt to changing consumer behavior when it comes to post-pandemic travel. 

The panelists for this session included:

• Andrada Paraschiv—VP of Hospitality, Beekeeper
• Edward Gallier—Head of Learning and Development, Jury’s Inn
• Sandy Gentles—VP, Talent Point Marriott

Want more insights from hospitality industry leaders during one of the Frontline Future 2021 sessions? Watch the webinar replay here.

Hospitality Workers Are Evaluating Their Options

Although travel restrictions are lifting, the hospitality industry is still in a transitional period.

In North America, leisure travel is returning, but there is more need for part-time positions and often not enough hours to support full-time employees. The COVID relief package has meant that former hotel staff have had more time to think about if and when to come back to work.

Many hotels have had to furlough, re-hire, and furlough again, decreasing employees’ confidence in the reliability of a job in hospitality. With customer service training, hotel employees have the ability to choose to move to a different industry.

“Hospitality has to fight for its space in the recruitment market.”

– Edward Gallier, Jurys Inn

The pandemic might also have prompted employees to re-think their priorities when it comes to work/life balance. Unless hotels give employees a good reason to stay, many might look elsewhere.

The New Normal From a Hotel Employee’s Perspective

In order to get a deeper insight into what motivates hotel employees to stay and do their best work, it’s important to consider how their roles have shifted during and after the pandemic.

During the pandemic, many hotels have had to limit their staff to the bare minimum. For employees, that meant more responsibility.

With less people and more things to do, staff have had to step up significantly to continue delivering a great guest experience.

For many hotel employees, the pandemic required them to develop a greater level of resiliency and adaptability. 

Hotel employees have had to adapt to working with a mask and screen, all while stepping into roles they may not have had experience with before. The result has been a mental and physical strain that should not be overlooked. 

“A good employer will continue to try harder. One model that fits everybody is not the case anymore. Having that level of personalization in each hotel will be key.”

– Edward Gallier, Jurys Inn

The small percentage of employees who were not furloughed had to work hard to make sure operations stayed efficient. For furloughed associates, the loss of income and ability to be part of a team were equally tough sacrifices.

In many cases, returning to hospitality will be a choice fueled by the passion to serve guests. Hotels that acknowledge the frontline employee experience and work to improve it will have the best chance of hiring the staff they need.

3 Ways Hotels Can Hire and Retain Workers with a Better Employee Experience

So what needs to happen for hotels to bring back their old employees and start hiring new ones? 

Ultimately, it’s about creating a role people want to take. Here three ways hotels can improve the employee experience and get a leg up in the reskilling revolution:

1) Provide a Channel for Associates to Share Information in Real Time

During the pandemic, sharing critical updates about ever-shifting safety procedures became the norm for many companies that employ frontline employees.

As hotels transition into a post-pandemic world, their employees expect that level of communication to continue. Transparent internal communications about what procedures have changed and why is not only reassuring for employees but empowering, too.

2) Prioritize Organizational Flexibility

There are three levels of organizational flexibility that will impact hotel operations post-pandemic.

1. Individual: Many hotel employees, particularly those that have been furloughed, have reevaluated their needs in terms of work/life balance. Offering a flexible schedule to accommodate for responsibilities like childcare will help retain valuable staff and attract new hires.

2. Training: The limits of physical distancing during the pandemic forced hotels to become more flexible in training their employees. Moving forward, hotels can continue to innovate their training processes. For example, managers can show new processes via video instead of holding in-person sessions.

Pro tip: Using a mobile employee platform like Beekeeper allows hotel managers to share videos and train staff remotely.

3. Hiring: While former hotel employees may be looking to switch industries, hotels can start looking outside the typical recruitment channels to source new associates. With technology that helps new hires learn skills quickly, hotels can look for potential employees in a more diverse range of industries.

3) Digital Enablement of Associates

Sharing company news and updates via a mobile app is just the first step in digitally transforming the hospitality industry. Establishing a collaborative environment via digital enablement empowers hotel staff to solve issues faster and deliver exceptional customer service.

For example, hotel managers can share what a COVID-safe environment looks like. But digitally-enabled teams can give each other recommendations or potential solutions that may not be department-specific. A housekeeper can share a recurring issue via video to the whole staff and an engineer might pick up on a solution.

Long-Term Consequences of the Reskilling Revolution

For the hospitality industry, long-term thinking took a back seat to short-term crisis control in 2020.

That said, the legacy of the pandemic will most likely shape hotel operations in the future in two important ways:

• Greater focus on the breadth of skills: The necessity for hotel employees to take on multiple responsibilities will influence a greater understanding of colleagues with different roles. Cross-departmental communication and training will encourage a more collaborative working environment.
• Working smarter: Doing more with less became the mantra of many hotels during the pandemic. Now, hotels will continue to find ways to provide services and complete tasks in the most efficient manner possible.

Watch the replay of The Reskilling Revolution in Hospitality. Complete the form below for on demand access to the recording. 

The post The Reskilling Revolution in Hospitality: Hiring and Retaining Employees appeared first on Beekeeper.

The US-based startup earned the trophy at Frontline Future 2021, the virtual summit on frontline work. Ario was recognized for its workforce empowerment technology, the Ario Platform, that enables frontline workers to share critical knowledge when and where it’s needed.

Fast Track to Success

In addition to getting an award, Ario will participate in the Beekeeper Acceleration Program, receiving guidance from the experts at Beekeeper in order to introduce the Ario Platform to over 1,000 companies across the globe.

“Beekeeper’s mission to transform the frontline by digitally connecting critical workers aligns directly with our mission to revolutionize frontline knowledge-sharing.”

– Nate Fender, CEO of Ario

“Ario is honored to receive the 2021 Frontline Future Innovator Award and we would like to express our admiration for the innovative startups who were shortlisted,” said Nate Fender, CEO of Ario.

“Beekeeper’s mission to transform the frontline by digitally connecting critical workers aligns directly with our mission to revolutionize frontline knowledge-sharing. We look forward to collaborating with Beekeeper so we may offer Ario’s empowering workflow tools to essential employees during this pivotal year.”

Beekeeper’s co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer, Flavio Pfaffhauser, is seeing a lot of potential in Ario’s solution: “Congratulations Ario. After the rise of mobile phones as a user interface, augmented reality is the logical next step and is going to revolutionize how work-relevant information can be displayed in the right moment & context. At Beekeeper we are excited to collaborate with Ario to make this a reality.”

“Augmented reality is going to revolutionize how work-relevant information can be displayed in the right moment & context. We are excited to collaborate with Ario to make this a reality.”

– Flavio Pfaffhauser, CIO of Beekeeper

Strong Competition

Ario emerged victorious as the strongest contender in a crowded field. More than 30 startups heard Beekeeper’s call and decided to go after the Frontline Innovator Award, with 4 of them reaching the final round. Here, the founders of these promising companies made their pitches to a select, international jury of industry experts.

Here’s the final four:

• Ario, the eventual winner
• epyMetrics, tracking the health of industrial athletes
• MachIQ, helping maximize asset performance
• Wowflow, digitizing property maintenance workflows

Each finalist made a strong case for themselves, often not just pitching their core solution, but also offering an outlook into what a collaboration or integration with Beekeeper might look like.

Expert Judgement

Ario took home the popular vote at the event with their dynamic and engaging pitch presentation, but the real challenge they faced was convincing the jury of seasoned experts:

• Julie Maples, General Partner at FYRFLY Venture Partners
• Juan Muldoon, Partner at Energize Ventures
• Julian Riebartsch, Associate at btov Industrial Tech Fund
• Dr. Benoit Leleux, Professor of Entrepreneurship at IMD Business School
• Kees de Vos, Chief Product Officer at Beekeeper

All of them found the idea of using AR in such a practical way intriguing, with only a few questions remaining around the content for Ario’s augmented reality “pips.”

“It’s a very interesting concept and use case”, says investing maven Julie Maples. “My questions would revolve around the tagging and how the pips get updated as machines or materials get recalled or replaced.”

Professor Leleux was similarly impressed, “You’ve created one of the first practical use cases for augmented reality on the shop floor. I definitely also appreciate the verticals you are addressing, which are very rich potentially.”

“I really appreciate that Ario’s solution applies augmented reality in a real life situation, helping  frontline workers to do their job more efficiently and safely,” explains Kees de Vos, Chief Product Officer at Beekeeper. “I very much look forward to working with the Ario team and jointly building solutions to really support the frontline worker.”

Check out Ario’s pitch and watch the jury congratulate them on their win below:

There can only be one Frontline Innovator each year, but the Beekeeper Acceleration Program is still looking for new members. Apply now!

The post Ario Wins Frontline Innovator Award 2021 appeared first on Beekeeper.

The winner will be advance to Beekeeper’s recently launched Acceleration Program. Participating startups will have access to potential clients and Beekeeper’s insights into frontline work to speed up go-to-market and product/market fit.

An important milestone in the acceleration program is integrating this solution with Beekeeper and a listing it on Beekeeper’s Marketplace. This enables frontline organizations to harness the power of the most innovative solutions in the market and one of the most effective productivity and collaboration platforms for frontline workers.

See all the shortlisted pitches at Frontline Future on May 6th and get your tickets.

The Jury

The Jury consists of seasoned experts in the startup world and business community. Among them are:

• Julie Maples, General Partner at FYRFLY Venture Partners
• Juan Muldoon, Partner at Energize Ventures
• Julian Riebartsch, Associate at btov Industrial Tech Fund
• Dr. Benoit Leleux, Professor of Entrepreneurship at IMD Business School
• Kees de Vos, Chief Product Officer at Beekeeper

The Jury is closely examining each candidate’s potential and any risks and challenges they are likely to face. Let’s see who made the shortlist for Beekeeper’s Innovator Award 2021 in alphabetical order.

Ario

Ario promises to give frontline workers easy-to-use knowledge-sharing tools that provide information when, where and how it’s needed most.

‍To achieve that, the US-based team decided to harness augmented reality. They develop tools to easily capture and distribute expert knowledge across all levels of an organization and enable workers to put the information right where it’s needed most. Virtual sticky notes or “pips” can be placed and viewed via mobile devices anywhere in the working environment. AR-powered collaboration tools allow for remote guidance when performing tricky tasks in maintaining or operating machinery. 

epyMetrics

Emerging from the prolific startup scene around ETH Zurich, epyMetrics is focused on the health of frontline workers. 

Specifically, the company is developing smart personal protective equipment (PPE) to track the heat stress experienced by “industrial athletes.” These are frontline workers in physically demanding jobs, often wearing heavy duty protective gear that increases the danger of overheating. Combining a wearable sensor with their proprietary physiological model and analytics, epyMetrics aims to empower workers, increase health and safety on the job and provide valuable business insights.

MachIQ

MachIQ was founded in 2016 in Switzerland to offer a platform connecting machine operators with maintenance needs to machine builders who offer after-sales services. The goal is to allow plant managers to maximize the performance of their industrial equipment and industrial suppliers while offering more services to their buyers in a cost-efficient way.

An important point that sets them apart in the field of maintenance management software is their openness. While most solutions in the field are bound to a specific brand of machines, MachIQ works with about 300 different OEM`s already.

Wowflow

Vienna-based startup Wowflow offers tailormade solutions for property maintenance teams. In his previous job as technical director for a shopping center, founder Drazen Ivanis experienced firsthand the challenges such frontline teams face. As he sees it, the time and effort they put just into communication, coordination and reporting takes up more than half of their time.

Wowflow aims to automate maintenance processes, eliminate paperwork and save resources for their clients. These already include an impressive array of retail clients in Austria.

Find out who will be the 2021 Frontline Innovator on May 6th, at Frontline Future. Reserve your seat now.

The post Meet the Finalists of the Frontline Innovator Award 2021 appeared first on Beekeeper.

Reminder, Frontline Future will be a one-day global event, exploring the rise of the frontline workforce and how companies can leverage mobile collaboration tools to engage and empower these essential workers. 

Attendees can join this summit either through a dedicated track—operations, HR, IT, or customer—or they can customize their summit experience through an à la carte option. Choose your own summit adventure!

Meet Our Keynote Speakers

Presentations will delve into the importance of today’s frontline workforce and its distinct needs, actionable steps that business leaders can take to implement organizational improvements and increase engagement, and specific examples showcasing organizations that have leveraged technology to support frontline employees.

Meet Crystal Kadakia, Leading Consultant, and CEO of Learning Cluster Design

We are thrilled to announce that Crystal Kadakia will be leading one of our keynote events to explore how to effectively lead change in your organization. Discover how to leverage new possibilities to evolve workplace culture and business goals. In it, Crystal will take a deep dive into the key differences between the industrial age and the digital age. She will also talk about how organizations can reduce inequities, tackle complexities head-on, and navigate digital transformation barriers. This is a very timely, relevant session you won’t want to miss!

Meet Kevin Spain, General Partner of Emergence

After founding and running a company at the height of the dot-com bubble, Kevin Spain ultimately decided to enter the venture business. He’s also worked as a senior member of the corporate development teams at Microsoft and Electronic Arts. We’re excited to hear Kevin discuss the state of technology for deskless workers. In his keynote address, Kevin will unpack the real reasons behind worker dissatisfaction, barriers to technology adoption, and the overall impact of the pandemic on the future of frontline work. 

Be sure to catch Kevin’s keynote to find out what’s in store for the frontline workforce (and the technology they’ll be using). 

Don’t Miss Our Other Notable Speakers!

Our sessions will be jam-packed with exciting speakers and thought leaders across a variety of industries. 

Other speakers at the Frontline Future 2021 summit include:

• Dr. Andre Vielstädte, Managing Director, Tӧnnies 
• Debra Punke, Senior Vice President of Human Capital and Communications, Concord Hospitality Enterprises 
• Sandy Gentles, Vice President of Talent Point by Marriott International
• Kimberly W. Wolff, Technology Business Relationship Manager of Cargill
• Daniel Waite, Vice President of People Operations for SH Hotels and Resorts 
• Jӧrg Funke, CFO of BUTLERS
• Tara Gambill, Senior Director of Enterprise Systems of MOD Pizza 
• Allison Grealis, President of Women in Manufacturing 
• Jessica Kennett Cork, Vice President of Community Engagement & Communications of YKK Corporation of America 
• Judith Sparber, Human Capitalist Specialist and Former CHRO, Marché 
• Dennis Brewster, Learning and Development Manager of HyLife

Cris Grossmann, Beekeeper’s fearless CEO and Co-Founder says, 

“We look forward to engaging with frontline leaders from around the world at Frontline Future, a must-attend event for any organization employing frontline workers. Frontline workers have always been a critical part of essential industries like healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality. Now more than ever, leadership teams must work together to maximize the potential of their frontlines.”

Have you registered yet? Visit www.frontlinefuture.io or fill out the form below to save your spot!

The post Meet Our Speakers for Frontline Future 2021 Summit! appeared first on Beekeeper.

• Safety
• Agility
• Transparency
• Digital enablement

Watch the entire webinar for perspectives and insights shaping the hospitality industry in 2021.

In a recent Beekeeper webinar, we spoke with hospitality leaders who shared their thoughtful insights into the challenges they now face on the road to recovery.

Meet our expert panelists:

• Andrada Paraschiv, Head of Hospitality at Beekeeper (Moderator)
• Amy Weber, Community Engagement Specialist, MOD Pizza
• Melissa Milione, Corporate Director of Events, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts
• Sarah Sorbel, HR Manager, Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

Don’t have time to watch the full webinar? Here are some key takeaways:

Health and Safety Trumps Everything

A steady drumbeat throughout the webinar, and the past 12 months, was health and safety. However, the challenges facing casinos, restaurants, and hotels this time last year are evolving once more.

“At MOD, we think we’re a trailblazer in the restaurant industry, but when it comes to our return to normal, we’re going to be a thoughtful follower in making sure it’s safe before we open everything up.” 

– Amy Weber, Community Engagement Specialist, MOD Pizza

Today, businesses are focused on:

• Complying with health and safety regulations
• Reopening in a way that is safe for employees, guests, and surrounding communities
• Seeking input from frontline employees on ways to make them feel safer
• Distributing news and information to help team members feel more confident in their return to work

Employees’ Mental Wellbeing Should Be Front and Center

Our panelists indicated that no matter where you are in your recovery, employee mental wellbeing should be a priority.

“One thing that is critical in re-onboarding the colleagues will be their mental and emotional wellbeing. I think we have to be sensitive to how difficult the past year has been for them personally. Many of them are returning to work without their former co-workers, and survivor’s guilt or survivor’s syndrome is a real issue. Our colleagues are going to need support in working through it.” 

– Melissa Milione, Corporate Director of Events, Hyatt Hotels & Resorts

To support team members focusing on their mental health, companies are:

• Sharing mental and emotional wellbeing resources
• Providing free access to apps like Headspace
• Communicating mental health best practices

Information-Sharing Will Remain Critical

At the onset of the pandemic, companies scrambled to find ways to connect with their more dispersed teams. In hospitality, that also included the millions of furloughed employees that needed information about:

• Healthcare benefits
• Payroll
• Return to work protocols

As a result, many companies adopted digital platforms that both active and furloughed employees could access anywhere.

“With Beekeeper, we were able to reach team members in a way that we never have before […] I never would have thought that would have been such a positive thing coming out of such a negative pandemic.” 

– Sarah Sorbel, HR Manager, Morongo Casino, Resort & Spa

Companies that digitally-enabled their frontline workforce during the pandemic are now better positioned to succeed in their recovery. Why? Because those employees now have access to:

• Real-time information in their preferred language
• Training materials for safely returning to work
• Digital forms, checklists, and documents
• Best practices that work for other locations

Watch a replay of the webinar to learn how Beekeeper helps these hospitality companies transition to their next normal.

The post Webinar: Reality Check – Where Are We In The Hospitality Recovery? appeared first on Beekeeper.

Beekeeper is hosting our first-ever virtual summit, Frontline Future 2021. This exclusive event will be packed with industry leaders, experts, and leadership from the top frontline-first organizations in the world. It’s time to come together and explore what the future holds for frontline workers and how organizations can empower them with the right technology. 

What Is the Frontline Future Summit?

We’re so glad you asked. The Frontline Future event is a groundbreaking virtual summit dedicated to the frontline workforce. On May 6, 2021, industry leaders from Europe and North America will join us for keynote talks, interactive workshops, and in-depth panels to examine what the future holds for frontline workers. 

Here’s a promo video so you can start getting excited. . .

Save your spot today! Registration is now open.

Frontline Future will be a one-day global event, exploring the rise of the frontline workforce and how companies can leverage mobile collaboration tools to engage and empower these essential workers. 

Attendees can join this summit either through a dedicated track—operations, HR, IT, or customer—or they can customize their summit experience through an à la carte option. Choose your own summit adventure!

Here’s what to expect at the Frontline Future summit:

• Latest industry insights on how leaders in frontline-first industries can increase engagement, agility, retention, and safety in the workplace.
• Interactive sessions with leading experts about digital transformation, how to develop a fully-integrated tech stack, and comply with evolving security regulations like GDPR and CCPA.
• Customer Success workshops led by our world-class customer success team and Beekeeper power users to discover how to make the most of your Beekeeper platform to create a fully connected workforce.
• Opportunities to network with over 1,000 global frontline leaders, analysts, and thought leaders.

“Ultimately, frontline employees are not only the public-facing employees of a business, but they also guide the customer journey. They are the faces of our businesses, as well as their backbone, and deserve to be given the tools to succeed,” said Cristian Grossmann, CEO, and Co-Founder of Beekeeper.

2021 Is the Year of the Frontline Worker

If 2020 saw the rise of the frontline worker, then 2021 is surely the year of the frontline worker. As we approach the one-year mark of living through a global pandemic, one truth has been made overwhelmingly clear to everyone. 

Frontline workers are essential, important, and necessary for a society to function. 

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, rapid digitization will be a key component of the recovery process for many businesses. COVID-19 has pushed companies beyond the technological tipping point, and it’s now rapidly accelerating workforce digitization for companies around the world. 

In a recent survey by McKinsey analyzing the pandemic’s impact on digitization, they found that “More than half of respondents say they are investing in technology for competitive advantage or refocusing their entire business around digital technologies.”

Now, businesses are restructuring their business models to create a more agile and connected workforce that includes everyone in their organizations. With a 70% rise in mobile device usage over this past year, leaders have a prime opportunity to digitally enable and empower their frontline workers, gain valuable insights from these teams, and build a stronger foundation to increase safety and productivity.

But wait, there’s more. . . 

Announcing the Frontline Future Innovation Competition

The conference will also host a Frontline Future Innovation competition. This competition will bring together frontline-focused startups to compete before an esteemed panel of judges including Julian Riebartsch (Digital Tech Fund BTOV), Iskender Dirik (Samsung Next), and Beekeeper board members Julie Allegro and Philipp Stauffer (FYRFLY), and Juan Muldoon (Energize Ventures). 

The winning startup will receive a trophy, be named Frontline Future Innovation Award 2021 champion, and get a guaranteed spot in the Beekeeper acceleration program where they will be listed in the Beekeeper Marketplace and engage with over 1,000 companies around the world. To apply for the Frontline Future Innovation competition please click here. 

What are you waiting for? Head on over to frontlinefuture.io to reserve your spot today, or just fill out the form below.

The post Beekeeper Announces Frontline Future 2021, A Global Summit About Frontline Digital Transformation appeared first on Beekeeper.

There are plenty of hospitality events out there, but not all are created equal. Some give you more bang for your buck and others are geared for specific needs. It’s vital that you do your homework before you invest time and money.

We’ve attended numerous hospitality events and narrowed the list down to twelve of our favorites to alleviate some of the work for you.

Updated: Hospitality Event Changes Due to COVID-19

As hospitality companies were forced to shut their doors in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person gatherings like industry events had to shift gears. From cancellations to virtual summits, events that were expected to host tens of thousands of people were forced to pivot to new plans. 

Here’s a round up of what happened to the 2020 hospitality events we featured.

1. The Lodging Conference: Scheduled to be held in the fall in Phoenix, The Lodging Conference was postponed due to the pandemic. The next conference is scheduled for September 27 – 30 in Phoenix.

2. NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference: Instead of the scheduled in-person conference, the 2020 event was held as a series of webinars which you can watch here.

3. The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS): This event, which attracts 3,000 industry professionals, was held as usual in January.

4. AAHOA: Hosted by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association, this annual convention went virtual for 2020. 

5. Hunter Hotel Conference: The Hunter Hotel Investment Conference was scheduled for March 18 – 20, just days after the world shut down. The conference was cancelled but another is scheduled for May 2021. 

6. HOTEC Operations & Technology: This hospitality conference that connects hotels with innovative suppliers was cancelled.

7. Meet the Money: Though it doesn’t appear the 2020 conference happened, the group that puts on Meet the Money has continued to hold virtual information sessions which you can find here. 

8. International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF): The 2020 Berlin event was postponed and the next scheduled forum will take place in September 2021.

9. Mountain Travel Symposium: The 2020 Mountain Travel Symposium went virtual in 2020, and they’ll also be online for their 2021 event this April.

10. Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC): In 2020, the HITEC conference became CYBER HITEC as it went online for a full roster of events with 1,840 participants.

11. HT-NEXT: This conference that covers everything from technology tools to travel trends went online in 2020. It stuck with its original mission of creating networking opportunities and even online allowed attendees to connect with one another.

12. HAC Conference: The Hotel Association of Canada held its annual conference in person as scheduled in February, before the pandemic forced other industry conferences to go virtual or cancel altogether.

1. The Lodging Conference

The Lodging Conference is hands down our favorite conference of the year. It’s well-known for being casual and laid-back, a place where ties are discouraged and shorts are encouraged.

The content is perfectly curated for hotel executives and the speaker list always includes the who’s who in the hotel industry. There are also plenty of opportunities to network within the conference itself or at the expansive lobby and bar.

Insider tip: The JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa is perfectly set up to schedule one-on-one meetings in the lower lobby, patio, or in one of the property’s restaurants.

2. NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference

As the largest and oldest established investment conference in the hospitality industry, the NYU Investment Conference boasts the top leaders in the hotel industry. There’s an impressive lineup of keynote speakers comprised of global leaders in lodging development, investment, and finance, and the general sessions are packed with great intel.

Insider tip: The 8th floor is a great place to host a meeting during the day. The post-conference scene isn’t quite as vibrant as The Lodging Conference, but it still does the trick. Look for more after conference parties off-site.

3. The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS)

Located in Los Angeles, this is a great west coast version of the NYU Investment Conference. It attracts 3,000 of the industry’s top leaders and hosts an array of seminars and panels discussing industry trends and new opportunities.

The content is well thought out and the location is perfect for after-hours entertaining. The conference organizers also expertly gate the hotel and only allow conference attendees to linger at the lobby bar, making it much easier to network.

Insider tip: While the networking potential is great, many of the key executives are locked away in their suites for meetings. Although this happens at most events, it is more noticeable here so you may have to try harder to seek the people you want.

4. AAHOA

This annual conference is hosted by the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) which represents more than 80% of all hotel ownership in the U.S.

Passed down through the generations, the ever-expanding portfolios are now managed by 2nd and 3rd generation AAHOA members. This is the youngest group in the hospitality industry and possibly one of the brightest.

Insider tip: Mark our words, these are the leaders that will be shaping the hospitality landscape in the next ten years.

5. Hunter Hotel Conference

Designed for hotel owners (40% of attendees) and investors, the Hunter Hotel Conference is great if you’re looking for a smaller, more intimate gathering that packs the same punch. This is a well-rounded conference for hotel leaders that is intended to give you plenty of opportunities to develop new relationships with lodging leaders and decision-makers.

Insider tip: While there is a national pull, this is somewhat of a regional event compared to The Lodging Conference, NYU, and ALIS.

6. HOTEC Operations & Technology

Created specifically for professionals in the operations and technology sectors of hospitality, HOTEC brings hospitality decision-makers face-to-face with suppliers of innovative products and services. When you know what you are looking for, HOTEC will help you find it.

From design to technology and operations, HOTEC fast tracks projects by connecting hotel leaders with what or who they need in an efficient two-day event packed with a customized schedule for each attendee.

Insider tip: The location is always amazing and the food and beverages are off the charts so make sure you take advantage of it!

7. Meet the Money

For hotel executives looking for up-to-the-minute information about the world of hotel investment and finance, Meet the Money in Los Angeles is perfect.

The conference is big enough to attract heavy hitters, but small enough to network with them. Attendees include hotel owners, developers, investors, lenders, operators, advisors, consultants, and more who engage in networking and, most important, deal-making.

Insider tip: Being a smaller conference, this is a great place to finance your next project or unlock the trapped capital in your existing portfolio.

8. International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF)

On the international scene, the IHIF in Berlin attracts more than 2,500 hotel executives from 80 different countries. The conference is known for its light-hearted, yet productive atmosphere and festive global flair. At the 2020 gathering, expect to learn from some of the industries most dynamic, cutting-edge personalities.

Insider tip: A lot of breaking news is announced here so you’ll be the first to know what’s happening in the international hotel investment community if you attend.

9. Mountain Travel Symposium

If you’re looking to attend a conference that also feels like a vacation, the Mountain Travel Symposium would be a great choice. Nestled in the beautiful North Lake Tahoe region of Squaw Valley, CA, the event prioritizes exchanges and makes it easy for hotel executives to meet both important sellers and other buyers.

Insider tip: Mountain Travel Symposium is the premiere mountain travel event of the year. For those who work in this niche, the networking opportunities can’t be beat.

10. Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference (HITEC)

HITEC is all about first-rate education and cutting-edge hospitality technology. Attend expert-led sessions and learn how to better manage your hotel. Then take a walk through the world’s largest hospitality technology expo and discover the latest tech breakthroughs.

Insider tip: This conference takes place in three different locations around the world: Palma, Spain; San Antonio, TX; and Macau, China. If you can’t make the American gathering, look into attending the European or Asian conference instead.

11. HT-NEXT

HT-NEXT is a collection of innovative minds and ideas. Join other trailblazers in the hospitality industry to learn about new technology tools, travel trends, and guest personalization strategies. When you’re not learning, plan to network. The event features over three hours of dedicated networking time in its agenda for 2020.

Insider tip: While the educational opportunities at HT-NEXT are excellent, they aren’t the only thing this event has to offer. Plan to attend the Copper Canyon Trail Blazers Bash and the Thrill Seekers Desert Adventure for fun and extra networking time.

12. HAC Conference

Last, but certainly not least, we have the Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Conference. The 2020 event will be held in Toronto and will feature plenty of educational content from industry leaders, as well as ample networking opportunities.

Want to learn more about millennial travel? Interested in the latest tech developments for the hospitality industry? Maybe you just want extremely practical information regarding sound masking and the best ways to reduce noise complaints at your hotel.

Whatever you want to learn, there’s a good chance that the HAC Conference has a keynote speech or breakout sessions planned on the topic.

Insider tip: The networking sessions at HAC Conference are specifically designed to get you in touch with the heavy hitters sponsoring the event.

Bring your A game and you just might walk away with a few incredibly valuable contacts.

Stay on top of what’s trending in the hotel industry with our free eBook, “Hospitality Industry Trends for 2021!”

The post 12 Hospitality Events You Can’t Afford To Miss appeared first on Beekeeper.

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