‘Mastering the essentials: collaborating to achieve extraordinary results’ was the theme for this year’s National Conference – an event which also introduced our rebranding from IHHC to Hospitality in Healthcare on the afternoon of day one.

Back at Melbourne’s Pullman on the Park Hotel – which also hosted our 2019 Conference – the event encompassed presentations, workshops and information sharing from our expert speakers and across the events and site visits held over three days from October 27 – 29.

Those arriving early on the afternoon of Sunday October 26 kicked off in informal style with an afternoon of drinks and finger food at the historic Duke of Wellington Hotel on Flinders St. Those who braved the bad weather had the opportunity to catch up with old friends and make new ones in the relaxed atmosphere before the Conference proper began the following day.

Monday started with the usual site tours: the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground, providing a behind the scenes look at the famous Long Room, Ron Casey Media Centre and more; Epworth Richmond Hospital, showcasing how this leading healthcare facility delivers high quality patient centred meals; and St Vincent’s Hospital, providing an inside view into its foodservice operations.

Following the Choice Collective Workshop and Panel Discussion, the Conference was officially opened by TV presenter and journalist Victoria Carthew, returning as MC for the fourth consecutive year. This was followed by the traditional Welcome to Country Ceremony from Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Elder Colin Hunter.

Then it was time for the long-awaited unveiling of our new name and branding, as National President Lisa Cranham announced that from now on the IHHC would be known as Hospitality in Healthcare.

Introducing the new brand and logo, Lisa said: “The decision to refresh our brand came out of a workshop several conferences ago, when we asked members what they thought. There was a clear consensus at the time and when we put the proposal to our members 99 per cent were for the new name, which we believe will resonate strongly with our base.

“It has been a long process, with contributions from many Board and committee members past and present. We have also sought input from our Members and Supporters at every step and taken their valuable feedback on board.

“Going forward as Hospitality in Healthcare, we now have a fresh, contemporary brand which we believe will serve our association well into the future – as we rededicate ourselves to supporting our industry, doing all we can to raise its profile and awareness of its professionalism.”

The afternoon also brought an innovative addition to our usual Conference programming -  several ‘Magic 120’ sessions, which gave Conference supporters the opportunity to speak for 120 seconds (= two minutes) each about what they were showcasing at their Trade Expo stands. As these proved a great success, we will be featuring the concept again next year.

The final presentation on day one was by our first keynote speaker Jodie Cranham GAICD. The founder of Cranham & Co, Jodie has over two decades of experience across health, aged care, disability and small business and focuses on focusing on leadership development, strategic planning and team engagement. She gave a fascinating speech and workshop on leadership. The well attended event was buzzing, with everyone challenged to think outside the box.

Following this, the Welcome Party was held in the Conference Trade Expo area, giving delegates, members, supporters and friends alike the chance to catch up with colleagues, make new connections, network and socialise over a drink and finger food. As you can see from the photos, the conversation was flowing and a relaxed and enjoyable evening was had by all.

Day two featured workshops and panels on such topics as improving food and nutrition, trainer mentoring, and implementing effective consumer engagement systems. The afternoon included a presentation by our second keynote speaker, culinary leadership coach Glenn Flood, who spoke on building high performance leaders and shared insights from his book Secret Sauce - giving us a glimpse of what constitutes the 'secret sauce' in all of us!

Day two concluded with the 2025 Hospitality in Healthcare Culinary Competition, back bigger and better than ever for its fourth year! A fantastic turnout and terrific atmosphere expertly MCed by Alastair McLeod saw four sets of finalists compete in a nail-biting cookout, with the audience counting down each to the end of their allotted time. Thanks as always to our valued supporters UNOX Australia, who provided the ovens and the cooking equipment, Bega Foodservice who provided dairy ingredients and Moffat who sponsored the winners' David Terrill Trophy. You can read about our winners here.

Day three featured more presentations and workshops, with one of the morning highlights a video walk-through of STARS Brisbane's food services. Presented by Amanda Adams from STARS, the virtual tour gave attendees an inside look at how the STARS foodservice team is harnessing digital innovation to drive efficiency and enhance food preparation/delivery and meal monitoring and measurement.

There was also a keynote speech by Griffith University Research Fellow Dr David Fechner, who designs and tests interventions which encourage the adoption of more environmentally sustainable behaviours. David gave a fascinating address on decarbonising the healthcare sector with plant-based foods.

This was followed by the reveal of the venue and theme for next year’s 43rd National Conference – Wrest Point Hobart will be hosting us from Monday 12 – Wednesday 14 October 2026, as we look at ‘Smart hospitality – redefining service in healthcare’.

Then it was time for a break of several hours, before we all reconvened for the Conference Gala Dinner, which hosted the presentation of our 2025 National Awards of Excellence (meet our winners here). This year’s theme was ‘all that glitter is gold’ and saw attendees decked out in their best gold and glitter for a truly glimmering evening.

Each year the National Conference proudly supports a charity and for 2025 we chose Minus18, which champions LGBTQIA+ youth through programs of awareness and visibility, education and life affirming mental health support. Minus18’s Philanthropy Lead Eva Granger spoke eloquently at our Dinner about the organisation’s activities - and you can learn more about Minus18’s lifechanging work at www.minus18.org.au.

With all the Awards presented and speeches made, the stage was turned over to our live brand, which brought the festivities to a raucous close.

As always, we extend our heartfelt thanks and congratulations to all involved with the planning and organising of the conference as it was another resounding success. And we look forward to catching up with everyone next year at Wrest Point in Hobart as pictured above!