Editor's comment: A new beginning for a 146-year-old brand

Last week The Caterer launched a new website that heralds a new chapter in the history of the brand. As we draw a line under one part of The Caterer’s past by retiring the print product, we have introduced a digital platform that brings together news, features, insight, and analysis in a more compelling and engaging way.

In time the new platform will also collect The Caterer’s conferences and awards on a single site, allowing our community to better interact with all of our face-to-face events. It will allow users to build their profiles to gain access and prioritise the content that is most important to their interests and business needs. As a business it allows The Caterer to bring together all strands of the brand and better serve the hospitality industry with the right information at the right time.

Readers will start to see new sector-specific email communications, more rich media content, and greater coverage of spectacular award nights such as the Cateys.

We’ve developed the site to deliver more of the content readers want in ways they want to read, watch and listen to it. Logged-in users will be able to refine their experience further by setting up a profile that ensures they are delivered the most relevant information. This also extends our conferences and awards content, which will be tailored to individual users’ interests to make sure they never miss a chance to attend our face-to-face activity.

Though it takes The Caterer forward into a new chapter, this investment in a new online platform is designed to retain the DNA of the brand – one which has served the industry for 146 years – while building on our industry-leading content and events programme to deliver ever more engaging and relevant articles and face-to-face opportunities.

We think we’ve created a platform that will maintain The Caterer’s place in the heart of hospitality, and certainly from the feedback we’ve had so far, it has been well received.

Do let me know what you think too by dropping me a line at: james.stagg@thecaterer.com