Advisory Board Terms of Reference

01Purpose and status

The Advisory Board gives expert advice on the programme, themes and priorities of the relevant FHS edition. It helps keep the content relevant to investors, operators, governments and the wider hospitality community.

• The Board is purely advisory. Its recommendations are not binding on The Bench or on any member.
• The Board has no decision-making, financial, management or fiduciary authority.
• The Board is entirely separate from the corporate governance of The Bench. Members are not directors, officers, employees, agents or shareholders of The Bench, and they take on no legal liability for its activities.
• Membership creates no partnership, joint venture, sponsorship or commercial obligation for either side, unless both agree separately in writing.
• Final decisions on the programme, speakers and partners rest with The Bench.

02Organiser

Each Advisory Board is convened by The Bench Conference LLC, trading as The Bench, which organises FHS and issues invitations to join the Board.

Where an edition is co-organised with a host partner, that partner has no authority over the Board.

03Membership

Composition

Typically 8 to 15 members drawn from hotel owners and investors, operators, government and public bodies, international organisations, lenders and advisers. The Bench aims for a balance of sectors, regions and gender.

Individual or institutional members

Appointment

By written invitation from The Bench, accepted in writing. Email is enough.

Term

One edition cycle, normally around 12 months, ending after the event. Membership can be renewed by mutual agreement.

Secretariat

The Bench production team for each edition handles scheduling, papers, notes and member communication.

04Role and expected contribution

Members are asked to:

• Share views on market trends, priority topics and gaps in the programme
• Suggest session themes, formats and potential speakers. All speaker invitations are made and approved by The Bench.
• Complete a short pre-event questionnaire
• Attend the edition where possible

Members are not expected to raise sponsorship, endorse sponsors or commercial products, or promote the event.

Meetings

Two to three virtual meetings per cycle, about 60 minutes each. Input can also be given by email or questionnaire. There is no quorum and no voting, as the Board makes no decisions.

Time commitment

Roughly 4 to 6 hours across the cycle, plus event attendance if the member chooses.

05Use of names, logos and images

The Bench uses a member's name, title, photo and short biography only to identify them as an Advisory Board member, on:

• The edition website's Advisory Board page
• The event programme, app and on-site Advisory Board signage
• Press releases and social media posts announcing the Board

Institutional names and emblems

An organisation's name, logo or emblem is used only with its prior written approval of each format, and in line with its own brand rules. It will never be presented in a way that implies sponsorship, endorsement, partnership or co-organisation.

Separation from sponsorship

Advisory Board listings are kept separate from sponsor and partner listings.

Withdrawal

A member can ask to be removed from materials at any time. Digital materials will be updated within 10 working days.

06Conflicts of interest and confidentiality

Declaring interests

Members tell the Secretariat about any commercial interest connected to their advice. The Secretariat keeps a register of declared interests.

Managing them

Where a conflict exists, the member may still give general views, but The Bench makes any related decision independently. Membership gives no preferential access to speaking slots, sponsorship terms or commercial opportunities.

Institutional members

Nothing in these terms requires an institutional member to act against its own rules, mandate, privileges or immunities.

Confidentiality

Draft programmes and unannounced speaker or partner names shared with the Board stay confidential until The Bench publishes them. Individual comments are not attributed publicly without consent.

Data

Personal data is handled under The Bench's privacy policy and UK GDPR.

07Costs, ending membership and review

Costs

Membership is unpaid. Members receive a complimentary pass to the relevant edition. Travel and accommodation are not covered.

Ending membership

Either side can end membership at any time by written notice.

Review

The Bench reviews these terms every year.

Status of these terms

These terms set out how the Board works and do not create legally binding obligations, except sections 5 and 6, which both sides agree to honour.