Andy Brown, the founder and Chief Executive of supplier management solutions provider –TiVA, based in Shipley, West Yorkshire – is to speak on the opening morning of the 2007 British Association of Hospitality Accountants (BAHA) Annual Conference and Exhibition, which will take place on 8 and 9 November.

Entitled ‘Managing Technology for Profit’, the two-day BAHA Annual Conference and Exhibition is one of the leading events on the hospitality industry calendar. On Thursday, 8 November, Andy Brown will be addressing BAHA delegates on the need to change traditional supplier management doctrines to keep pace in a period of constant and rapid change. In his presentation, entitled ‘What Lies Beneath’, Andy will point out that Chief Procurement Officers (CPOs) have used the same supplier management doctrines since the 1970s, warning that drastic changes are now needed to keep abreast of new forces in governance and stay ahead of changes in a highly competitive environment.

“We are delighted that Andy will be speaking at the conference,” said Carl Weldon, BAHA’s Chief Executive Officer. “The ‘fall-out’ from Sarbannes Oxley, carbon emissions, sustainability, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are just a selection of the new problems that CPOs must contend with. Andy talks about real situations and throws down the gauntlet to CPOs everywhere to change or get caught out in the ‘gathering storm’.”

Andy Brown will make the second presentation at the conference, following the keynote address by EasyGroup founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, who launched the easyHotel budget hotel group in 2005. Sir Stelios will get this year’s Conference off to a flying start with a presentation on ‘Using a Famous Brand to Build a New Hotel Business Model’.

The 2-day conference and exhibition will afford finance and IT professionals, from all corners of the UK, the opportunity to get an informed view from a line-up of expert speakers, making individual presentations and taking part in Panel Forums, on current key issues – such as ‘Separation of Ownership and Management: Implications for Performance Measurement’ and the ‘The Cost of the Environment’ - and their impact for the future.

Individual speakers, and those taking part in the Panel Forums, will focus on:

• purchasing for strategic advantage



• a review of industry trends



• capital asset management strategies



• customer profitability analysis



• benchmarking



• strategic information management



• IT Systems for competitive advantage



• performance measurement



• the cost of the environment

“The 2007 BAHA Conference also presents an unrivalled opportunity for networking and for viewing some of the ‘best in class’ products and services available to the hospitality sector at the accompanying exhibition,” said Debra Adams, BAHA’s Head of Administration and Education.
“In addition, the event is ideal for professionals wishing to undertake continuous professional development (CPD), since they can not only benefit from the expertise and knowledge of the speakers, but also from a series of practical workshops and presentations.”