Hospitality Rising aims to raise £5m for 'world's biggest hospitality recruitment ad campaign'

Hospitality Rising, which is spearheaded by former Pret a Manger and YO! Sushi marketer Mark McCulloch, is a collaborative movement dedicated to creating the world’s biggest hospitality recruitment advertising campaign.

The campaign will centre on attracting more talent into the industry as it starts to recover and build back post Brexit and the impact the pandemic continues to have on one of Britain’s most loved industry sectors.

McCulloch has already raised £200,000 from a range of restaurants and hospitality groups backing the campaign, including  Biff’s Kitchen, Cote, Koop + Kraft, Peach Pubs, Wild Flor, Punch Pubs, Butlin’s, Rhubarb Hospitality Group, Hilton, Buzzworks, Pizza Pilgrims, The Dog at Wingham, Wahaca, ARC Inspirations, Loungers. Fourth & Church, Coal Shed, Marugame, Hawksmoor and Pizza Express.

“The support we’ve had from the industry and some of our marketing contacts has been amazing,” he says.

“We now need to raise enough money to really land a high profile that will both attract people back into the industry or make those who haven’t considered our sector as a viable, exciting, creative and rewarding career.”

The campaign has also secured £250,000 worth of pro bono creative strategy time and concept development from a number of top agencies, including VCCP (O2 and Cadbury), Ogilvy (Burger King and Coca Cola), and Forever Beta (Google and Amazon).

“We’re very pleased to be working closely with Mark and Hospitality Rising to develop and promote a comprehensive campaign to address chronic labour and skills shortages in the hospitality industry with a range of short and long-term plans, and in particular to raise awareness of the need for all-important campaign funding,” says UKHospitality CEO Kate Nicholls.

“It has our full backing and we’re excited to see such early and positive momentum.”