By Lacy Curtis-Ward, Director and General Manager at Church House Conference Centre

There is an increasingly strong movement in the hospitality industry towards establishing and expanding useful standards with bite in them. The Olympics coming to London has breathed an increased sense of urgency into the issue of how Best Practice can be encouraged in an industry that will be under an increasing bright spotlight.

A large amount of excellent work has been undertaken by the HCIMA and the MIA in developing and promoting the Hospitality Assured scheme as well as the development of the Conference Centres of Excellence standard, the attractions' kitemark (VAQAS), AIPC's excellent membership criteria, etc. There are also the more generic kitemarks - Investors in People, etc which are upping their game as well and adding higher possible levels of accreditation under IIP.

The MIA's development of its own quality kitemark will provide an additional choice of standard senior managers can adopt. The decision to make MIA membership contingent on meeting the MIA standard is a significant step away from voluntary adherence to best practice to industry associations making excellence the starting point.

This "quality standard spotlight" is a huge opportunity for the industry - it enables us to make sure that our operations are as efficient as possible in all different areas - extremely useful from a profit point of view. But there are other areas that benefit as well:

1. Increased professionalism for all members of staff - senior management's passion for excellence (by "winning" various kitemarks) is continually communicated to all staff and becomes ingrained in the corporate culture.

2. Our use of IIP and Hospitality Assured kitemarks allow for excellent management training opportunities for all staff - as all staff are involved in the preparation for inspections.

3. The pride of improving our performance with each inspection allows for a real "team building" without the use of raft - building exercises, assault course time trials and the like. (A great relief to this non-athletic general manager!).

4. The creation of a culture where the most junior level staff can make and implement business improving suggestions.

5. Standards keep senior managers from becoming lazy - I can't imagine the outcry of my Board should The Conference Centre at Church lose its IIP, Hospitality Assured accreditations or now, its membership of the Meetings Industry Association.

The commercial purpose of wanting the Olympics was to bring a spotlight on the variety and excellence of what Britain has to offer. Our "win", as an industry, will be to make that excellence sustainable and to widen the application of best practice application.