Industry News London & South East Premier Hospitality

It’s Time to GO! Organic – Tickets Now on Sale for New London Festival

Aspire Executive Lounges, Swissport's global airport hospitality brand, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality, the world’s leading and award-winning membership body for hospitality professionals. Aspire Executive Lounges becomes the first business partner from the airport lounge hospitality sector to join the Institute of Hospitality. Aspire Executive Lounges, the fast-growing Swiss brand in the airport hospitality business, has joined the British Institute of Hospitality (IoH), the world’s leading membership body for professionals working and studying in the hospitality leisure and tourism industry. Aspire Executive Lounges is the first business from the airport lounge sector to become a member of IoH. The collaboration will foster an exchange of expertise and insights: IoH will benefit from Aspire's expertise in airport hospitality, while Aspire, by sharing its wealth of experience with IoH members, can extend its professional network to the hotel and catering sectors and hospitality management schools. “Our vision for Aspire Executive Lounges is clear and simple: We want to deliver a guest experience that is similar to what our guests are used to from their preferred hotels, meeting the needs and exceeding the expectations of today’s travelers,” says David Collyer, Global Vice President of Executive Lounges at Swissport International AG. “We strive to deliver an unparalleled experience and set a benchmark that transcends our industry, redefining excellence across the hospitality sector. The Institute of Hospitality is a great network to exchange insights and experiences, and to learn from others in the hospitality sector, which will help us bring our vision to life.” Robert Richardson, CEO of the Institute of Hospitality: “Our aspiration at the Institute of Hospitality has been to develop and grow our membership, the number of countries we operate in, and the number of hospitality sectors represented within our organization. With that in mind, it is a natural partnership for us to welcome Aspire into our family, and to learn from their teams, who serve travelers with passion and dedication. As two organizations with similar values, we look forward to collaborating in promoting high levels of excellence within our profession.” With over 30 years of experience, Aspire Executive Lounges is Europe’s largest brand in the airport lounges sector. In 2023, Swissport welcomed more than five million customers worldwide at over 69 lounges in 20 countries. The airport hospitality brand recently opened new lounges at Toronto City Airport in Canada, and Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland. Aspire Executive Lounges recently created a new lounge concept in partnership with the airline alliance oneworld. The first oneworld branded lounge was launched at Incheon Airport in Seoul, Korea, in December 2023. Aspire Executive Lounges is owned by Swissport International AG, the global leader in aviation services, serving airlines at 286 airports in 44 countries across 6 continents
Written by Amy

Tickets for GO! Organic, the most exciting new festival in London this summer, are now on sale at www.goorganicfestival.co.uk.

Taking place over the weekend of 8-9 September, Battersea Park will be transformed into a vibrant celebration of the very best in organic, sustainability and healthy lifestyles.  The festival will feature a 100-stall organic marketplace, organic beer festival, a raft of big-name and up and coming bands, celebrities, talks, organic kitchen demos, a children’s farm, circus entertainment, free fun fair rides and much more.

With capacity set at 15,000 attendees for its launch event, organiser Diversified Communications UK is urging prospective attendees to reserve their tickets well in advance.  To ensure the event is accessible to as many people as possible, early bird tickets are priced at just £26 for adults, £13 for children and £69 for a family of four.

The eclectic line-up already includes: The Hoosiers and The Magic Numbers on the main stage; television personalities Jonathan Dimbleby, Simon King, and Janey Lee Grace; Helen Browning OBE, chief executive of the Soil Association; Chris Collins, head of horticulture for Garden Organic; environmental campaigner Natalie Fee; children’s entertainers Mr Bloom and Andy Day; plus some of the country’s most exciting chefs will be creating tasty dishes to suit every palate (and conscience) in the Organic Kitchen.

Among the chefs now confirmed are: Gelf Alderson, executive chef at River Cottage and an early pioneer of the Farm to Fork philosophy; Emily Watkins, head chef of The Kingham Plough; eco restauranteur Arthur Potts-Dawson; leading food writer and chef Rosie Birkett; and Chetna Makan, Great British Bake Off contestant and author of The Cardamom Trail.

“The Go Organic Festival brings a unique opportunity to share ‘all things organic’ with a wide group of people in a fun, festival setting,” says Chetna Makan.

“Organic is more relevant than ever, appealing to everyone from foodies to families, and all those who are looking for food, as it should be, and the benefits that organic brings.  I’m delighted to be part of the GO! Organic Festival as a food writer and really looking forward to cooking at the festival and enjoying this festival with my family,” she says.

“I’m so excited to be part of this innovative event, I love the fact that it’s a festival which will combine all the best bits of the organic lifestyle with fun for all the family and great music,” agrees Janey Lee Grace, “whether you are someone who is always looking for organic options or you just want a fabulous day out, there will be something for you!”

Ruth Ayahudin, GO! Organic Festival’s marketing manager, explains: “At its heart, GO! Organic Festival is about people coming together to have fun and share their love of all things organic.  It’s about seeing, sampling, tasting, experiencing, and discovering what’s out there, what’s new.  Organic is not a niche market any longer – it’s not just the preserve of a certain type of consumer – it’s for everyone.

“The difference between this and so many other events is not just the high quality of the eclectic programme but also the fact that we are celebrating and promoting something, which is really important to so many of us.  We have some amazing supporters and, as we want the event to be a great day out, which is accessible to everyone, we have priced it very competitively.”

Discounted advance tickets can be purchased via the website, with tickets for adults priced at £26, children at £13, and a family of four at £69 (after the early bird discount ends, prices are £32 for adults, £15 for children and £85 for a family ticket).  For full details, please visit www.goorganicfestival.co.uk.

Sponsors include Abel & Cole, Clearspring, Crazy Jack, Tarrantella, Pukka, Helen Browning Organics, Wyld Wood Organic and G’s Fresh, with more to be announced over the coming weeks.  The event forms part of the Organic September celebrations and has the support of the Soil Association and the Organic Trade Board’s Feed Your Happy campaign.

For further information about getting involved, please contact the festival’s sales manager Amanda Thackray at athackray@divcom.co.uk.

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Amy