9.00am-10.00am: Registration

10.00am-10.30am: Karen Turton, founder of Purple Story, sets out the four fundamentals of operational excellence – people, profitability, performance and productivity.  

10.30am–11.00am: Maintaining operational excellence across multiple sites: Claire Robertson, operations director of Premium Pubs and Bars within Marston’s, talks about getting the best out of multiple teams. 

11.00am-11.30am: Philip Eeles, founder of Honest Burgers, Breadstall Pizza & Pineapple, the latter collecting and benchmarking people metrics from 75 business on a quarterly basis, reflects on starting a new restaurant in the current market; the need for a balance between taste, operational efficiency and GP; and how people metrics underpin overall performance. 

11.30am-12.00pm: Steve Haslam, who founded pub and restaurant operator AIM, talks about improving operating standards to revitalise performance in uniquely challenging times. 

12.00pm-1.00pm: Lunch 

1.00pm-1.30pm: Keith Bird, former chief executive of Marugame Udon and chief operating officer of Gourmet Burger Kitchen, reflects on the operations constants that apply within every kind of operation.

1.30pm-2.00pm: Phil Thorley, managing director of Thorley Taverns, talks about what he has learnt about optimising operations over the decades and how you keep yourself and your staff motivated as the years pass and the challenges mount.

2.00pm-2.30pm: Shereen Ritchie, former chief executive of Buns from Home and Leon managing director, talks about how operations need to be aligned to create superior performance. 

2.30pm-3.00pm: Coffee

3.00pm-3.30pm: Building a great operations team that protects the brand and creates consistency for the guest: Karen Turton, founder of Purple Story talks to Barrie Robinson, operations director, Parkdean Resorts, Tom McManus, strategy director of McManus pubs, Lisa Buckley, former chief retail officer BrewDog, and Matt Townley, groups operations director of Dakota Hotels.

3.30pm-4.00pm: Matthew Kirby, who oversaw the sale of quick service business Chozen Noodle to Chopstix and who operates US foodservice businesses, talks about the pros and cons of operations in the UK and the US.

4.00pm-4.30pm: Alasdair Murdoch, chief executive of Burger King, talks about how operational standards are improved and maintained in a company that runs directly managed sites and franchised sites. He will talk about leading, coaching and developing a high performance team. 

4.30pm-5.00pm: Ed Devenport, who entered the sector in 2016 and has turned Incipio into one of the UK’s most innovative and varied pub, restaurant and event space operators, talks about the ten key operations lessons he has learned.

5.00pm-5.40pm: Investing in great operators: Propel group editor Mark Wingett talks to leading sector investors, including Robin Rowland, operating partner at Trispan, investor in Mowgli, Rosa’s Thai, Thunderbird Kitchen and Pho;  Lizzie Ryan, partner at Imbiba, investor in Pizza Pilgrims, Farmer J and Clays; and Chris Miller of White Rabbit Fund, investor in Lina Stores and Kricket, about the operating standards and metrics that they look for in an investment – and how these have changed over the last few years.

Attendees will be able to opt to attend one or more Parallel Sessions, offering insight into specific areas. Parallel Sessions so far announced are:

Boardroom A:

10.00am-10.35am: Nory – how AI can genuinely support hospitality teams: This session will explore how modern operators are using artificial intelligence (AI) to reduce administration, simplify decision-making, and give their teams more clarity and confidence on the ground. The Nory team will be joined by Mateusz Kapciak, head of operations at Bubble CiTea, who’ll share how it has scaled the brand across the UK, and how it’s embracing AI – not just through platforms like Nory, but across its day-to-day workflows to boost team performance, unlock time, and stay ahead. This isn’t about hype or hypotheticals – it’s a grounded, operator-led conversation about what’s working, what’s next and what to consider if you’re looking to introduce AI in your business. 

10.45am-11.15am: HGEM – How AI is influencing guest reviews and reputation: This session explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is already shaping guest feedback and online reputation – through review analysis, rankings, and sentiment summaries – whether businesses are aware of it or not. Attendees will learn how AI interprets guest sentiment and highlights key signals, how to consider the operational behaviours behind reputation data and develop a simple three-step action plan to shape how their business is perceived. All participants will be offered a free sentiment audit of their business.

11.20pm-11.55pm: S4labour – sales-boosting habits you can start today: Join Sam King, business director at Grosvenor Pubs and Inns, and Tom Marshall, operational excellence manager at S4labour, as they discuss the proven habits that have helped drive sales at the award-winning Grosvenor Pubs and Inns. Packed with easy to digest and ready to implement takeaways, the two will look at the habits that have increased sales, boosted team engagement, enhanced customer satisfaction and are still propelling the business forward. Most importantly, you’ll leave with real-world strategies you can implement immediately in your own business.

1.00pm-1.45pm: Harri – the nine metrics you should be concerned about when benchmarking against other UK operators: Instead of the traditional “let’s just cut hours”, there are nine different metrics that operators should actually be measuring themselves against, and they all point towards greater profitability. In this exclusive session on real industry benchmarking data, Harri commercial director Pete Willis will run through how to address rising labour percentages, inaccurate forecasting and open the table up for discussion. All attendees will receive a free benchmarking consultation after the event.

1.50pm-2.35pm: Sona – unmasking agentic AI: myths, truths, and the human advantage: In this session, Sona’s chief technology officer Ben Dixon unpacks what true artificial intelligence really means for hospitality, beyond the buzzwords and headlines. Unlike traditional machine learning, which delivers static insights and leaves decision-making to teams, agentic artificial intelligence (AI) comprises autonomous, goal-driven “agents” capable of chaining tasks, adapting to new situations, and prompting action in real time. This session will dive into what makes agentic AI unique, how it’s already creating impact, and why the future belongs to operators who choose to embrace it. Ideal for leaders questioning the leap, this session will include interactive examples and myth-busting discussions, leaving you with a clear, realistic view of what agentic AI can do to help better-engage teams, drive revenue performance, profitability and ultimately guest happiness.

3.10pm-3.45pm: Venners – avert disaster by turning operational challenges into excellence: In this session, Venners senior consultant Steve Clark shares stories, case studies and practices about common – and unusual – operational challenges that hinder excellence. Learn what other hospitality operators have encountered and overcome by optimising their operations through effective stock, revenue and profit controls.

Boardroom B:

10.00am-10.35am: Three Rocks – how smart ordering technology boosts tips, teams and guest experience: Join Three Rocks chief technology officer Matt Rawlins, Tipjar chief commercial officer Dan Hawkie and Peach Pubs senior brand manager Lindsey Hobbs as they explore how digital ordering solutions—like order and pay and kiosks—are transforming hospitality. Learn why these tools consistently lead to higher tips, faster service, and better guest satisfaction. From fewer order errors to seamless payments and full menu transparency, technology frees staff to focus on what really matters: personal touches and building loyalty. The result? Smoother operations, stronger teams, and happier guests.

10.45am-11.15am: Tenzo – the secret to getting perfect labour percentages – hours: This session will show how Travis Fish, former group operations director at Comptoir Group, and Robb Harris, fractional finance director at Upham Pubs, have shifted away from purely thinking in labour percentages (as is the norm) to a more hours based approach. They’ve seen a lot of success with this getting teams to engage with their targets on a daily basis, rather than waiting until the end of the week to know what their percentages are and whether they missed their goal or not. The session will show how other operators could take this approach and the results they might see.

11.20pm-11.55pm: Nutritics – boosting guest satisfaction and profitability with menu data featuring a case study from Peach Pubs and Ten Kites: In today’s competitive hospitality environment, data is essential for operational success. Claire Chalmers, chief revenue officer at Nutritics, will show how menu intelligence data can help operators boost profitability, simplify daily operations, and meet changing customer demands, from allergens to food trends. She’ll be joined by Lindsey Hobbs, senior brand manager at Peach Pubs, who will share how her team uses Ten Kites, Nutritics’ digital menu publishing tool, to gain insights and optimise operations. Hobbs will explain how data has helped Peach Pubs improve efficiency and profitability, from identifying top-selling dishes to boosting guest engagement. Join them to learn how menu data can reveal sales drivers, respond to customer feedback and trends, create profitable and guest-friendly menus, and free up your team to focus on food quality and service. This is a session for operations professionals who want to supercharge their menu strategy with real-world advice.

1.00pm-1.45pm: Mastering Multi-Units – the period review – aligning teams and driving profit: In this session, David Blackmore, operations expert and partner of Mastering Multi-Units, will be joined by Valerio Diecidue, head of retail operations at Blackbird Bakery, and Charlie Warren, operations consultant and formerly head of operations at Pizza Pilgrims, will explore one of the most powerful yet often misunderstood operational practices: the period review. They’ll bust the myth that monthly business reviews are about micromanagement. Instead, they’ll highlight how great reviews drive engagement and accountability—with the site manager leading the conversation, analysing not just what happened last month, but why, and crucially, what lessons they’ve learnt. What needs repeating? What needs rethinking? It’s this reflection that drives better performance next time around. Diecidue and Warren will share how they prepare, facilitate, and follow up on reviews, all while keeping a laser focus on cost control, sales growth, and profit improvement. Participants will also be introduced to the “Three I Model”, equipping them with practical tools to take their period reviews to the next level.