A big word of thanks to the team at Hospitality & Catering News for this article. It is a very interesting concept.
A survey conducted at the end of 2013 by industry social media expert @DigitalBlonde on behalf of @MarsFS_UK and the Craft Guild of Chefs found that while many chefs (92.5%) are social media savvy 65.5% would like additional training.
And an overwhelming 90.1% of chefs agreed that social media was a great way to increase footfall to their establishment, with 87.9% also citing it as extremely useful in recruiting – but many are still yet to join in the conversation.
Social media workshops – for chefs
With these facts front of mind, Mars foodservice is set to launch 2 #SOCIALCHEF workshops which will introduce social media and how it can be used to drive business via social networks. The one-day events will also include how to take the best food photographs and how to deal with challenging situations.
Sarah Gray marketing manager for Mars Foodservice, the company behind Uncle Ben’s and Dolmio, said: “We are thrilled to acknowledge that chefs are the social media superstars of the hospitality industry. We want to help those who would like to become the #socialchef of the future.
“Social media is still seen as a hidden tool within the marketing mix and can be confusing if you’re not in the know. It’s a great way for chefs to follow their peers, get news and information. Many chefs have already harnessed the power with a mix between images and quick descriptions and are attracting followers, visitors and viewers to their virtual profile.
“We would like to help and encourage other chefs to join in and are delighted to announce the launch of the Mars Social Media Workshops to assist with getting social.”
“In today’s world where we own more mobile phones than toothbrushes – according to Karen Fewell aka Digital Blonde – we have the technology, it’s just about enhancing and exploring how to make it work to our best advantage.”
Dates are yet to be confirmed but to register your interest, please email your details to marsfs@proactivecommunications.co.uk
Please include your full name, job title, business name, address, email and telephone number.
Agenda for the one-day sessions
- What is social media?
- Types of social media/overview on what works best
- Hashtags
- How to incorporate into your daily life
- Why use social media
- Pitfalls of social media and how to handle it
Lunch provided by Mars Foodservice
Afternoon session
- Putting it all into practice
- Practical solutions and tips
- Tips on how to take food pictures on your phone
- Cook up – how to create dishes and a theme to get noticed hosted by Roy Shortland, Mars development chef
- Live posts on twitter, pinterest, instagram and creating a vine
- Competition for the best use of social media to win an Ipod mini
Martin Bates, CEO of the Craft Guild of Chefs: said “We are delighted to be supporting this initiative from Mars Foodservice to support chefs throughout the industry to embrace social media. It is a vital tool to aid their professional and personal enrichment and we look forward to seeing #socialchef trending as a hashtag across the industry.”
For more information, call 0800 952 0011 or log onto www.mars-foodservice.co.uk