Hospitality in Partnership
A world leader in corporate hospitality services Hospitality in Partnership (HiP) is a division of Lilley & Gillie Hospitality, one of the UK’s most established corporate The Lilley & Gillie day to day business is the “business” of corporate hospitality. We organise quality programmes for over Hospitality in Partnership (HiP) is the global events and consultancy division of Lilley & Gillie Hospitality offering consultancy, For more details visit our website at www.hospitalityinpartnership.com |
When we become the official commercial hospitality operator at a global event, we do not import everyone from the UK. We provide the
central management and drive the project but we work very closely in partnership with all the local sales agents and local suppliers
wherever possible. In this way we also aim to leave a legacy after the event for the benefit of the local sport and the lcoal
community.The key words describing our service are Quality, Integrity and Reliability. These words capture and characterise everything we
do. We have a genuine passion in our approach to this businesss. Our ability to deliver the right results for our
corporate clients, rights’ holders and venues is second to none. Our services provide a genuine benchmark of
quality.Our Experience
2006 marks the 25th Anniversary of Lilley & Gillie Hospitality and perhaps it is no coincidence that 2006 is the busiest year in its
history. Lilley & Gillie has been appointed to promote, market and sell the official hospitality programme at all three of the
forthcoming World Cups – The FIFA World Cup 2006, ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 and Rugby World Cup 2007 – the only
company to be officially appointed at all three of these major events. In addition, Lilley & Gillie is the only agency to have had
an official appointment at Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003 and 2007.The Company is led by a team of extremely experienced individuals some of whom have been involved in the industry
virtually since its conception.HiP is the major event and hospitality consultancy division of Lilley & Gillie Hospitality. Senior HiP personnel have been involved in
many major projects over the years including official appointments
at:
- Welsh Rugby Union Executive Guest Club
- The Football Association
- Rugby World Cups 1999, 2003, 2007
- Rugby League World Cup 2000
- ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
- FIFA World Cup 2006
- Raymond Gubbay Opera at the Royal Albert Hall
- The Millennium Dome
- Cirque du Soleil Alegria UK tour 2005
- The Bolshoi Ballet at the Royal Albert Hall
Our Clients include:
- ICC Cricket World Cup
- Rugby World Cup
- Rugby League World Cup
- European Athletics Association
- Cirque du Soleil
- Royal Albert Hall
- The Millennium Experience
- Raymond Gubbay
- Welsh Rugby Union
- The Ascot Authority
- The Football Association
- Clipper Ventures
- Over 600 corporate clients
Our Team
Jim Bignal – Chairman
Jim Bignal set up Lilley & Gillie Hospitality in 1981 which quickly established a reputation for high quality innovative hospitality.
He was a prime mover in setting up the Corporate Hospitality Association in the late 1980’s. Lilley & Gillie was a Founder
Member of the Association with Jim on the initial working committee. He became Chairman in the early 1990’s. Jim has
considerable experience in major event hospitality through his involvement in two Rugby World Cups, Rugby League World Cup 2000
and Cricket World Cup 2007.Chris Bruton – Chief Executive HiP
Chris Bruton has been in the hospitality sector for over a quarter
of a century. He has been involved with Lilley & Gillie since its
inception in 1981. He is also a past chairman of the Corporate
Hospitality Association and the Campaign for Real Ale. Chris set-up
and ran the Central Office for Rugby Hospitality 2003, the
officially appointed hospitality organiser for the Rugby World Cup
2003. This AU$82m company provided high quality hospitality
for over 53,000 VIP corporate guests. He was the main point of
contact between Rugby Hospitality 2003 and IMG, Rugby world
Cup’s commercial advisors. Chris is Chief Executive of
Cricket Hospitality 2007, the officially appoitned agency for
ICC Cricket World Cup 2007, with our offices based in Barbados. He
is a regular speaker on corporate hospitality issues.Simon Gillespie Managing Director – Lilley & Gillie
Hospitality
Simon Gillespie, the Lilley & Gillie Managing Director, has had
over twelve years experience in sales and marketing of
corporate hospitality programmes. His experience in the provision
of high quality sponsors hospitality programmes at both the summer
and winter Olympicsis also proving highly valuable in our offer to
clients. Simon became Managing Director of Lilley & Gillie Hospitality in
February 2005.Philip Driver – Sales Director
Phil has worked in a sales capacity in the corporate
hospitality and has been the Lilley & Gillie Sales Director since 1999.
His knowledge of the industry and a fundamental appreciation of the
requirements of corporate clients is invaluable to the Company. He
has achieved an excellent balance between face-to-face client
meetings, telemarketing and direct mail.Chris Proserpi HCIMA – Catering Consultant
In a career spanning 25 years in the Hospitality industry
, and having acted as Director of Major Events with both Sodexho
and the Compass Group, Chris has an unrivalled in-depth experience
and knowledge of the planning and operational delivery of catering
services at some of the UK’s best known sporting events and
prestige venues.
He has held responsibility for the provision of the corporate
hospitality services at four Ryder Cups, the Commonwealth Games in
Edinburgh and Rugby World Cup 1999, in addition to overseeing
the catering operation at The Open Golf Championships, The Henley
Royal Regatta, Royal Ascot, Lord’s,The Chelsea Flower Show,
Murrayfield and Twickenham as well as at the Paris and Farnborough
Air shows.
He has also directed the catering at many famous venues and on
state occasions, including The Royal Albert Hall, The Mansion
House, The Institute of Directors and at the Buckingham Palace
Garden Parties.Wendy Gray – Senior Event Manager & Front of
House Consultant
Wendy has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20
years. Of the major sporting events, she ahs worked on Rugby World
Cup 1999 in the UK and France and the Rugby World Cup 2003 in
Australia. She was also closely involved on Euro 1996. However, it
is her day to day involvement in the hospitality industry and the
resulting experience that will provide the greatest value to our
clients.Contact Us
Hospitality in Partnership
161-169 Uxbridge Road
Ealing
London W13 9AU+ 44 (0) 20 8567 3530
Email: chris.bruton@hospitalityinpartnership.com
Major Event Hospitality
Providing corporate hospitality at major sporting events
remains at the core of HiP’s business. We have a long reach
with the ability to deliver successsful events pretty much anywhere
in the world. In 2003, HiP staff were the driving force
behind the sale and delivery of over 53,000 hosptality packages at
Rugby World Cup 2003 in Australia.Rugby World Cup 1999
Hospitality in Partnership has considerable experience in creating
consortia with expertise across a range of disciplines to provide a
full turn-key service to major events rights holders.For Rugby World Cup 1999 held in the old “Five
Nations”, we conceived the idea and then formed a consortium
which ultimately won the official corporate hospitality contract
for the Tournament. Our four partners included both caterers and
conventional corporate hospitality agents. All the partners
sold the packages across all matches with each partner assuming the
fulfilment responsibility in one of the hosting countries. HiP
handled fulfilment at all the matches in Wales, including the Final
in the dramatic new Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.We had a similar, albeit smaller, contract for Rugby League
World Cup 2000 which was also held in northern Europe with the
Final at Old Trafford, Manchester in November 2000. On this
occasion HiP not only sold the packages and managed the fulfilment
at several matches including one quarter-final and one semi-final
but also managed the entire central administration of the company
from our Ealing office working on a fee basis.Rugby World Cup 2003
We again won the contract for Rugby World Cup 2003 in
Australia with sales rights for Australia and New Zealand
only. For both these Tournaments we made a substantial
minimum rights fee guarantee to Rugby World Cup Ltd for the
official commercial hospitality rights. For Rugby World Cup
2003, we appointed eight hospitality agencies (seven based in
Australia and one in New Zealand) to sell the packages working on a
commissionable basisThese approved agencies collectively had the details of over 90%
of the potential clients and it seemed eminently sensible to
appoint them to do the selling. This involvement of local
agents was extremely successful with total sales in excess of
53,000 – a phenomenal number for a country with a total population
of only 20 million. We took responsibility for managing and
motivating these sales agents and ensuring they abided by all Rugby
World Cup’s rules and regulations, particularly with respect
to ambush marketing. Another benefit of appointing
well-established agencies is that the black-market was virtually
negligible. All sales agent appointments were approved by
Rugby World Cup Ltd.We also took full responsibility for the total fulfilment of the
hospitality programme. Chris Bruton, the HiP Chief Executive,
was the Chief Executive of this company, Rugby Hospitality 2003 Pty
Ltd, based in Sydney. The total turnover of our business in
Australia was 52 million Euros. The total rights fee paid to
Rugby World Cup Ltd was nearly 12 million Euros.ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
HiP has been appointed to provide hospitality consultancy and
hospitality event management services to ICC Cricket World Cup West
Indies 2007 in the Caribbean. Our offices in Barbados wll be
the focal point of our activities. We have appointed official
sales agents throughout the cricketing world as well as in the
Caribbean to promote these official progammes. We are also
responsible for the fulfilment of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007
partners hospitality programme.Working closely with local suppliers, wherever the event, is one
of the key aspects of our philosophy. This philosophy is perfectly
exemplified in Rugby World Cup 2003 in Australia where we appointed
eight local sales agencies to sell the packages and the Australian
Rugby Union to help us with the fulfilment.These appointments confirm our ability to create, market and
operate hospitality on a truly global scale.Full Turnkey Service
HiP removes your administrative burden of operating this particular
aspect of your event, allowing you to dedicate your time to running
the event. Our service includes the package creation, the
appointment of the sales agents and all the service suppliers as
well as the event management itself. We pride ourselves
on the quality of our on-site event management team who will ensure
that all the guests receive red-carpet service.HiP has a proven record of delivering memorable event
experiences at major events anywhere in the world. Every event is
different and we will tailor-make the solution to meet the rights
holders specific requirements. Please contact us for case
histories.Sponsors’ Hospitality Management
25 years of day-to-day experience in the provision of VIP
hospitality is utilised to the benefit of major event partners and
sponsors. Hospitality is a vital part of a company’s
sponsor activities. Perfect service is vital.HiP’s hospitality management service provides a total
turnkey solution to matchday hospitality services from the initial
planning, budget management and guest communication to the on-site
welcome, food and beverage control and event management.The HiP reach and experience is global from European Athletics
to ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 in the Caribbean. Our team of
dedicated staff will ensure your event exceeds your expectations
though our passion for Quality, integrity and
reliability.Software Support
HiP is responsible for the provision of the sponsors’
hospitality programme for ICC Cricket World Cup West Indies
2007. It is a complicated project with forty eight matches,
spread over forty seven days in eight different caribbean
Countries. To ease the adminsitrative burden on the sponsors’
personnel, we are designing, with our team of IT specialists
a dedicated intranet system as a way to communicate with the
partners representatives. This will communicate menus,
facility details, timings etc in a simple, easy to use system.Hospitality Consultancy Service
Commercial hospitality is big business for rights holders,
governing bodies and venues. It is vital you maximise your
opportunities by efficient planning from the start. HiP will meet
with your designers and provide advice on facility design, size,
location and flexibility of use including the size and
location of the kitchen and services areas.It is also vital to ensure during the planning process that you
understand the realities of market forces and the likely demand for
their product. Providing facilities either too large or too
small can be an expensive mistake. To this end we
provide advice on sales and marketing, design of marekting
collateral, the appointment of sales agencies (if necessary),
staffing and front-of-house requirements.In short, let us help you, using our knowledge and experience,
to maximise your income from commercial hospitality.Corporate Hospitality
Corporate Hospitality progammes are handled by HiP’s parent
company, Lilley & Gillie Hospitality. Formed 25 years ago, Lilley & Gillie is
now establised as on the UK’s leading hospitality
agencies.The Lilley & Gillie Service goes beyond that normally expected of a
hospitality agency. Our role is not simply to “take an
order”. We will work with you to provide the solutions
you want, not those we want to sell. Your Lilley & Gillie account manger
will be available to discuss new ideas, offer advice and identify
the type of event that best suits your needs. We operate throughout
the UK and worldwide, matching budget to event. Lilley & Gillie has an
open book accounting policy with clearly stated management
fees.Peace of mind
In an industry that is short of financial safeguards, we’re
the exception to the rule with professional financial management
backed by substantial reserves. Lilley & Gillie’s commitment to
official ticket sources and official hospitality means that you can
relax, safe in the knowledge that your company will receive the
package promised.Lilley & Gillie offers:
• Hospitality management solutions to major events rights
holders, sponsors and individual corporate clients.
• Official hospitality at all major national and internationla
sporting events
• A comprehensive cultural events progamme
• Regional entertaining solutions for a range of budgets
• Creative bespoke solutions for more diverse client
requirements
• Experienced on-site event management staffCorporate Hospitality Tender
Do you have an event you feel has the potential to generate income
from corporate hospitality? Do you know where to begin to exploit
this potential? Do you need advice on the business model
which bests meets your objectives and expectations? Are you
awareof the upsides and downsides for each option?In 1997, in a bid to win the Rugby World Cup 1999 Official
hospitality contract, we conceived the “business model”
for the “Incumbents’ Consortium”. This
consortium won the contract and became Rugby Hospitality 1999 Ltd.
This original business model, suitably modified to meet the
particular individual needs of each event, is now used as the basis
for the majority of major event hospitality contracts throughout
the world.HiP can provide this advice. Over the last 25 years we have
responded to many of Invitations to Tender. We now know what a good
“bid document” is. JCB I felt that the bad
bit sounded pompous and potentially offensive!Allow us to guide you through the options on your business
model, what information you should include in the Bid document,
your legal requirements, where you should advertise the
opportunity.Hospitality Software
Some major events generate many thousands of corporate hospitality
bookings and without effective planning, organisation and
effective software things can quickly develop into a shambles.With regard to the sales process, it is vital that the official
sales agents know what is available for sale at any one time. It is
vital that the invoicing is centrally controlled with all monies
going into a dedicated trust account.With regard to sales administration, the collation of guests
special requirements and the effective transmission of this
information to the caterers is vital.Control of costs and regular reporting to management and the
rights holder is essential to the smooth running of the event.HiP, working with specialised IT consultants, can develop
appropriate software to meet these requirements. However, a
thorough undertanding of the various processes is vital. HiP has
that experience.Hospitality Front of House Services
On the day a successful event relies on the smooth co-ordination of
a number of different sub-contractors and their staff. These
include the waiters and bar staff, the security personnel, the AV
technicians, any celebrities and tipsters and many others. If
these people are left to work in a general vacuum, the guests will
probably have a reasonable day but reasonable is not good enough
for Lilley & Gillie and HiP.However if these people are actively and sympathetically
managed, they work together as a team and every guest has an
exceptional experience – from the first smile when they come
through the door to the “Have a safe journey home” at
the end of the day. This is where we make a difference.At the major events a large proportion will always be free
lance. Training and motivation of these free lance staff is
another key aspect of our service. At the event itself the
HiP senior management can not possibility interact with all the
guests. Indeed they will interact with very few guests.
But every guest will interact with a number of staff, such as
receptionists, hostesses, waiters, bar staff and facility
managers. The training and motivation of these
customer-focused personnel is critical. They can make or
break the guests’ enjoyment of the day. HiP has
developed a number of training programmes to ensure that every
member of the team is onside, working together to maximise the
guests’ enjoyment of the day.For example for Rugby World Cup 2003 in Australia we produced an
eight minute training video featuring Wallaby legend, John Eales,
explaining the critical importance of the role of hospitality
co-ordinators in the total programme. Every person working in
our facilities saw this video during their initial training and
then again on site on Match day.When event is not large enough to make this approach practical,
our senior event managers, many of whom have worked with us for ten
years or more, give practical on-site briefings to all the
staff. Besides the basic elements of customer service, we
also ensure that the staff have a basic knowledge of what is
happening at the event itself, which teams are playing, what stage
the competition has reached, which is the main race etc. etc.
This means that they can interact with the guests with confidence
and their confidence gives the guests a positive experience.