UKHospitality chief and Netflix star confirmed as Advantage conference speakers

UKHospitality chief executive Kate Nicholls and Netflix ‘The Bank of Dave’ self-made millionaire Dave Fishwick have been confirmed as keynote speakers for this year’s Advantage Travel Partnership conference.

Nicholls is also chair of the Tourism Alliance and co-chair of the London Tourism Recovery Board, representing the needs of the wider tourism sector in discussions with government and the mayor of London. 

She sits on the government’s tourism, hospitality and food & drink sector councils among other roles.

Nicholls will talk about the role that UKHospitality performs with government on behalf of its members, share lessons on effective lobbying and why it is crucial to engage proactively with policymakers in order to influence change.

Fishwick, founder of Burnley Savings and Loans, will relate how he built six separate multi-million-pound businesses in the UK and US, and became the UK’s largest supplier of minibuses.

The event takes place on May 20-23 at the Melia Villaitana hotel in Costa Blanca, Spain.

Advantage chief executive Julia Lo Bue-Said said: “As always, we are committed to securing the best and most relevant speakers for our conference, and we are confident that Dave Fishwick and Kate Nicholls will not disappoint.

“Dave’s story will absolutely resonate with our members. His experiences are sure to inspire and delight delegates. We feel very fortunate to have secured him for our event, given that Netflix has very recently released a film about his life.

“We are delighted that Kate has agreed to join us in Spain. She has achieved such a great deal for UKHospitality in her role as a high-profile ambassador for the sector.

“This year’s event will have a robust agenda that will provide a blend of content, from senior keynote speakers providing a comprehensive overview of the macro issues facing the industry, to smaller workshop-type sessions that will ensure delegates take away valuable learnings and insights on a wide range of business-related topics.”

The 2023 conference will also include strategic updates from Lo Bue-Said and the Advantage senior leadership team.

Lo Bue-Said added that the full content line up will be announced “in due course”.