Captive Conversations, The Hospitality Podcast

As the year comes to a close, Episode 80 of Captive Conversations takes a step back to reflect on how hospitality makes decisions.

Adam speaks with Mark from Tenzo about why instinct alone is no longer enough, how operators are overwhelmed by dashboards, and why better data frameworks matter more than more reports.

They explore how context, experience, and curiosity still play a critical role, and how AI can support teams wit...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam sits down with Jonatan from All Gravy to explore how frontline technology can feel more human, more supportive and far more connected to the reality of hospitality work.

Jonatan shares the story of his early career, the leaders who shaped him, and the moment he realised frontline teams were being asked to juggle seven or eight different apps just to get through a shift. He explains how ...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam sits down with Rosie Akenhead to explore one of the biggest challenges facing hospitality today: the covers problem. Rosie describes how changing guest behaviour, home comforts and broader societal pressures have reshaped the way people choose to dine out. She also reflects on the emotional weight this places on teams who are still expected to deliver energy and inspiration every day.

R...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam sits down with Edd Bower, Data Lead at Guestwise, to explore how hospitality can turn scattered information into clear, actionable guest insight. Edd draws on his journey from the creative world into data operations to explain why most brands struggle with disconnected platforms, limited visibility and inconsistent feedback loops.

Edd reveals how guest data often lives in many different...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam sits down with Simon Anderson — hospitality consultant, co-founder of Market Halls and founder of Next Space — to explore how food halls, regeneration projects and community-driven design are reshaping the UK’s high streets.

Simon reveals how vacant department stores, declining footfall and post-COVID shifts in behaviour have created both risk and opportunity for towns and cities. With ...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam speaks with Ed Christmas, Managing Director of Bums on Seats — one of the most influential voices in hospitality sales, bookings, and operational efficiency.

Ed shares how fragmented systems, under-utilised CRMs, and broken booking processes quietly drain revenue — often up to 30% of business turnover due to inefficiencies alone. 

Together they explore:

✔ The leaking bucket analogy a...

From pulling pints in Welsh pubs to building one of hospitality’s most connected marketing communities — Glenda Barber shares her journey from Brains Brewery to Bloom Marketing and the creation of Team Marketing IRL.

In this Captive Conversations episode, Glenda and host Adam Forman explore how hospitality marketers can build authentic communities, foster collaboration, and create meaningful customer connections.

💬 Topics:

Two engineers. One mission: make dining safe for everyone.

In this episode, Adam chats with Eve and Alana, founders of Served, the tech company redefining allergen transparency across hospitality. From their early research at university to partnerships with Dishoom, Techstars, and Hawksmoor, they’re showing how empathy can drive innovation.

🎧 Topics:

• Highlights:

  💡 Turning lived experience into scalable hospitality tec...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam Foreman sits down with Matt Serwin, Director of Partnerships at Klaviyo, to discuss how hospitality operators can use data to truly understand their guests.

💡 Highlights:

• How Toast and OpenTable data power personalisation

• Why first-party data is the foundation of real loyalty

• What AI means for guest experience

• How to shift from vanity metrics to actionable insight

🎙️ “Data ...

.In this episode of Captive Conversations, I sit down with Charlton Santana, founder of HeyGuest, to explore how messaging, automation, and AI are quietly rewriting the rules of hospitality.

From working front-of-house to building a platform used by hotels and short-term rentals, Charlton shares how he turned guest frustrations into a product that serves teams and guests equally.

We talk about:

💬 Why messaging is becoming the...

Better Conversations, Not More Apps.

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam Forman chats with Guy Weiss about the chaos of communication — and how ZenZap is bringing calm, clarity, and connection back to workplace messaging.

From noisy notifications to meaningful moments, we unpack:
• The real reason internal comms fail
• How AI can help teams breathe, not burn out
• Why simplicity always wins in complex industries

Richard Liverman: Brand DNA & The Power of Ambassadors

What do food, stories, and ambassadors all have in common? They’re at the heart of building brands that last.

In this episode of Captive Conversations, I sit down with Richard Liverman to talk about:

✨ Why brand DNA is more powerful than just marketing

✨ The role of ambassadors in scaling businesses

✨ Why curiosity is key for growth

✨ His challenge to hospitality: stop sa...

🎙️ Episode 68 of Captive Conversations welcomes Olivia FitzGerald, Managing Director of 125 Data & Insights.

Olivia shares her journey from:

✅ Early days in hospitality at Quaglino’s

✅ Scaling online reservations at Livebookings & Bookatable

✅ Leading sales & marketing at Zonal

✅ Running B2B at Majestic Wine

✅ Transforming Feed It Back into 125 Data & Insights

Key themes we cover:

• Why operators must be brave enou...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, I sit down with Victoria Searl, founder of DataHawks, to unpack her career from running pubs at 18, to senior sales & marketing leadership, to building a platform designed to turn hospitality data into action.

We cover:

✅ Early lessons from running pubs and learning ops the hard way

✅ Sales and marketing at major brands under private equity pressure

✅ Why operators collect endless data ...

🎙️ Catherine Allen on Selling with Empathy & Building Stereo

In this episode of Captive Conversations, Adam chats with Catherine Allen, sales leader turned founder, about building Tidr, a new tool for sales enablement in hospitality.

From her early days doing cold outreach at Trail to launching her own platform, Catherine shares what she’s learned about earning trust, finding product-market fit, and growing with grit.

🔥...

Welcome back to Captive Conversations. In this episode, I’m joined by Reiss and Louise from Set Menu—a platform that’s quietly becoming a must-have in the hospitality tech stack.

💥 We talk:

• How menus get out of sync across delivery & booking platforms

• Why most operators still rely on spreadsheets and manual fixes

• Building Set Menu with real operators, not just devs

• The future of brand control, from third-party listings to g...

In this episode of Captive Conversations, I sit down with Jack Edge, founder of Edgey, to explore his journey from hospitality operations into the world of branding and creative strategy.

We dig into the real lessons from running venues, why operators need to think like lifestyle brands, and how storytelling is becoming the missing link in guest experience.

In this episode, we cover:

✅ What Jack learned from years in operations

✅ Why b...

Hospitality lives and dies by its operations. Few people know that better than Gary Digby, who’s built a career leading multi-site venues and now runs his own consultancy.

In this episode of Captive Conversations, we talk about:

✅ Why operations are the backbone of every hospitality business

✅ The common pitfalls operators face – and how consultancy can help

✅ Where AI and tech can genuinely add value

✅ Gary’s own journey from opera...