HIT Scotland welcomes the return of the POETS lunch

HIT Scotland's POETS lunch took place last week, raising more than £40,000 for the emerging talent of the industry.

The annual event, which stands for Push Off Early, Tomorrow's Saturday, took place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow with over 350 guests in attendance.

The lunch, organised by the POET committee, was in aid of the HIT Scotland scholarship programme, which provides learning opportunities for people to learn from mentors in the industry.

Just this year, HIT Scotland provided over 2,000 online scholarships to provide training in leadership, management and supervisory skills.

Co-chairs of the lunch, Claire Gamble (Dakota Hotels) and Jamie Stevens (Village Hotels) said: "We are very aware of the challenges the industry is coping with and we knew that one of the best tonics would be a fun lunch with top entertainment to inject some positivity back into the sector.

"This was delivered in bucket loads and the feedback from the event has been amazing. We were delighted to put on an event that made people smile and create that sense of community that has been challenging to find throughout the pandemic. To raise so much money for the scholarships was the icing on the cake."

The entertainment for the lunch included Tam Cowan as master of ceremonies and Kitti, winner of the Female Breakthrough Award at the Specsavers Scottish Music Awards.