Hospitality has to be right. You don't always see it, but you do feel it: a queue that flows nicely, for example. Or a coffee break that is ready on time (with biscuit). And someone who on entering thinks: hey, it's nice here. These are the details that make a meeting at Jaarbeurs so valuable. And that's what team hospitality is so good at.
Jochem Schut, head of hospitality, is responsible for hospitality within Jaarbeurs: the complete range of food and drinks as well as part of the guest reception such as receptions and cloakroom. A role that seems manageable on paper, but in practice it goes in all directions. Because one day it involves a few hundred guests at a conference and catering in the theatre or personal service in the restaurants, the next day tens of thousands of visitors on the exhibition floor. And everything in between, he says: "We serve all kinds of target groups here. My job is to be able to make the most of the guests who come here for live meetings."
In need of more excitement
Before Jochem started at Jaarbeurs , he worked for years in the hotel industry, managing large teams and being responsible for complete hotel operations. Yet he was ready for something new. "I wanted to get away from the art of running hotels. I was familiar with that by now. I was looking for an environment where I could use my experience, but at the same time be challenged in something new." He found that challenge at Jaarbeurs, where hospitality comes together with exhibitions, conferences, theatre and live events.
Personal attention
This goes beyond just the offer on the menu. Because there is something that is perhaps even more important according to him: personal attention. For this, he cites a great example: "If you ask any person at NASA what they do, a cleaner for example, they will say, 'I help put a man on the moon.' I want the same within Jaarbeurs. Whether you make a sandwich, pour coffee or take a coat, it's about that connection with the guest."
Internal first, then the outside
With that in mind, Jochem's focus recently has been on the basics: strengthening teams, tightening processes and making sure everyone knows what they are contributing to. "If it's right internally, the guest notices," he says. This is also reflected in how he has organised hospitality at Jaarbeurs , take the foodbook as an example. Jochem: "We work with a basic offer that we lay down annually in our foodbook. From breakfast and lunch to dinners and walking dinners: everything is in there." Together with account managers and the kitchen, he is constantly looking at how that offer matches what organisers and visitors are looking for. "You want to innovate, but it must also remain feasible," he says.
And sometimes it can get surprisingly creative, he says: "For example, we did a customer event in a Van Gogh theme. The kitchen went all out and linked dishes to paintings. For example, Van Gogh's Sunflowers was fully integrated into the dessert. I like things like that: standardisation where possible, really something special when it fits."
No extreme leaps, but smart choices
Sustainability also plays an increasingly important role. There, according to Jochem, the challenge lies mainly in making the right choices: "Sustainability is no longer a project, it is something you include in your daily choices," he says. At the same time, the offer has to suit the people walking around here. "You can't impose it. You have to see what suits the target group and where you can put sustainability cleverly."
As an example, he gives the choices in the assortment. The range is now largely plant-based or sustainable, but classic favourites remain. But made from better ingredients. "When we serve a croquette, for example, we consciously choose a variant with the 3-star Beter Leven quality mark. That way we choose more sustainable, without losing sight of the guest."
People work
For Jochem, hospitality is all about people. About the guests who come in and about the colleagues who make it possible every day. Because every employee contributes to the experience of the moment at Jaarbeurs: from theatre visit to restaurant evening, from conference to exhibition floor. Everyone comes here with a different purpose. And hospitality ensures a fitting welcome and the right culinary care. With some ninety permanent staff (and at busy times more than two hundred if you include flex workers and hiring), he says it is a continuous interplay. He therefore stresses, "I don't do this alone. But together with my team, both in front of and behind the scenes in, for example, warehouse and (rinse) kitchen. That's how we make a difference."
This is precisely why he wants to continue investing in the coming years: in employees, in training, in the offering and in sustainability. Building further step by step, he calls it. Because if the team is strong, the rest will automatically follow. As Jochem himself sums it up: "Creating meaningful, hospitable experiences with passion and personal attention."
