The third HoReCa conference was held at the Kaptol Boutique Cinema & Bar and it gathered several hundred of Coca‑Cola HBC's partners in the hospitality and tourism sector in Croatia. This conference is one of the most important events in the Croatian HoReCa sector and its aim is to highlight the importance of developing knowledge and the quality of service.
To familiarize the visitors that gathered at our conference with the latest global and regional trends in catering, we provided a rich programme with prominent lecturers at this year's conference. No doubt, the star of this year's program was Declan McGurk, the manager of The Savoy London hotel bar, the most awarded hotel in that area. In his presentation, Declan dealt with the topic of successful management and team development at bars and restaurants with the aim of ensuring a high level of service. The programme continued with a presentation by the Croatian sommelier champion, the first certified sommelier for sake and the Noel restaurant manager Ivan Jug. At the conference, Jug emphasized the importance of selecting and developing a high-quality team to ensure a high level of service.
Featuring excellent guest speakers, Coca‑Cola representatives presented current trends and new initiatives in the HoReCa channel in the local market. Coca‑Cola HBC Croatia realizes a significant portion of its revenue in the hospitality and tourism sectors, so it is constantly dedicated to developing those sectors and building partnerships that go beyond sales.
"We are committed to continuous growth and learning, and we consider it our job to contribute to the development of the HoReCa channel. The lack of a trained workforce is one of the major threats to the further development of the tourist and hospitality sector, so we strive to contribute to solving this problem through socially responsible projects and activities. In cooperation with the Budi Foodie foundation and Rudolf Štefan, we have organized two humanitarian brunches (marendine) and collected the funds necessary to award the first three education and training scholarships for young talents in the gastronomy sector. We are especially proud of the fact that today's conference has provided us with an opportunity to present our new programme, Raise the Bar, through which we are continuing to develop the knowledge of the key stakeholders in the HoReCa channel, putting an emphasis on the importance of increasing workforce quality," Ruža Tomić Fontana, General Manager of Coca‑Cola HBC Adria, noted.
The visitors gathered at the conference had the opportunity to learn more about the Raise the Bar programme from the project manager Filip Verbanac. The programme is aimed at harmonising the skills and knowledge of young people with the needs of employers in the tourism and hospitality sectors. Thanks to modules designed specifically for chefs, waiters, managers and barmen, the programme will provide the participants with knowledge that can be applied in real-life business conditions. As part of the Raise the Bar project, Coca‑Cola HBC Hrvatska has established its own training centre that will give the programme participants an opportunity to access modern equipment, as well as the tools and ingredients they need to learn and adopt state-of-the-art techniques. The programme is intended for young people, between the ages of 18 and 30, and the classes will be completely free for all participants selected through the application process.
More about the project: https://hr.coca-colahellenic.com/en/sustainability/raise-the-bar/about-the-project/