Just open the doors and the spell is on… For two days, project developers, hotel
groups, manufacturers, investors, suppliers and expertise come together in the form
of business meetings, speed networking. An ecosystem that goes way beyond, and
has done for 10 years now!
Yumna Chabrol and Jenny Bachelot have built up, stone by stone, more than a
network or a community in its own right. It’s a family that continues to grow and
evolve, adopting new players in the residential and upmarket hotel sectors as it goes.
Creating opportunities and synchronicities, they succeed in the tour de force of
combining business, elegance, conviviality and kindness.
Two names, two exceptional women, two words with positive vibrations: Hostys
Connect.
The first event took place in Abu Dhabi. can you tell us now how, ten years ago your potential participants reacted to this completely
innovative speed dating format?
Yumna Chabrol: Ten years ago, when we introduced the concept of B2B
speed dating over two days, the idea was revolutionary in our sector and in France.
At that time, traditional trade fairs were the normal though the return on investment
was uncertain. The intensive, immersive approach we were proposing represented a
leap into the unknown for many of our our prospects.
Many were reserved, wondering how such brief interactions could lead to meaningful
and lasting professional relationships and feared that their expertise would not be
appreciated without the showcase of the traditional stand. Our reputation played in
our favour, reassuring the best-known among them and drawing others in their wake.
It took many months and dozens of discussions with each of them to explain how our
format would enable them to reach decision-makers they were struggling to meet,
often just a street away! Authenticity, efficiency, personalization, limited numbers and
the strength of human relationships were the key words in creating an environment
conducive to exchanges.
I’d like to read you one of Émilie Baraton’s testimonials, Director of Programmes at
Vinci Immobilier:
“At Hostys, I met for the first time some of the partners I’d been
Émilie Baraton, Director of Programmes at Vinci Immobilier
working with for over a year particularly on the Mondrian Bordeaux, but whom I
hadn’t been able to meet beforehand. This changed the relationship I’d developed
with them, by putting the human element at the heart of our exchanges. I could also
tell you about the kidnapping of one of my colleagues on a shuttle bus on the last
evening to Lisbon who kept sending me messages asking me to come and rescue
her but that’s less corporate!”
What does that evoke for you?
Y.C: What makes this adventure so remarkable is the the human links that
have been forged over time. These encounters and moments of sharing are the real
treasure of Hostys Connect. They are living proof that, in a world that’s becoming
increasingly digitised and impersonal, the value of human remains invaluable. Many
alliances have grown out of the encounters at our event, as well as the friendships
that continue today.
© Julie Carretier-Cohen
Looking back, what are you most proud of today?
Y.C: The loyalty of our participants and an exceptional renewal rate. But
above all, the community we’ve managed to create. It’s a community that grows with
each edition and feels very strong about belonging to this circle.
What about tomorrow?
Y.C: We hope that over the years Hostys Connect will become the meeting
place for talent, the incubator and antechamber for the profiles of tomorrow. An
incubator for the rising guard and the new wave of craftsmen, interior designers and
hoteliers.