The organisers of the Stars of the South Hospitality Conference & Awards (SSHCA) have officially unveiled SSHCA Port Harcourt 2026, positioning the city as the epicenter for leadership and investment discourse in South East and South South Nigeria’s hospitality and travel trade.
The landmark two-day gathering will hold Friday and Saturday, September 25 and 26, 2026 at Golden Tulip Hotel Garden City, 63 Stadium Road, Port Harcourt. It is convened under the theme: “Leadership Mastery in Hospitality: Developing Managerial Skills and Maintaining Operational Excellence – Strategies for Star Managers.”
Convener Mr. Renn Offor, a Nigeria Tourism 100 Club inductee, in a statement issued yesterday and made available to The Frontier, described the 2026 edition as a deliberate response to the industry’s most urgent need.
According to Offor, the South East and South South regions require a new generation of “Star Managers” equipped to drive growth, sustainability, and innovation across every segment of the value chain.
“SSHCA 2026 is not another conference,” Offor stated.
“It is where Africa’s next wave of hospitality leadership will be built.”
He added that the platform is setting a new benchmark for managerial excellence that will ripple across Nigeria and the continent.
The choice of Port Harcourt reflects the city’s rising profile as a hub for business tourism, oil and gas hospitality, and cultural enterprise in the Niger Delta.
Golden Tulip Garden City Hotel will host the full two-day programme, including the conference, masterclasses, panels, and the awards gala dinner.
Speaking on the unveiling, Mrs. Susan Okonmah, General Manager, Golden Tulip Garden City Hotel, Port Harcourt, called the event “a turning point for regional professionals”.
“Golden Tulip Garden City Hotel is proud to host SSHCA Port Harcourt 2026,” Okonmah said. This is more than an event; it is a defining moment for South East and South South hospitality.”
She noted that for too long, professionals in the region have had to travel far for world-class training and recognition.
“SSHCA is bringing global expertise, investment conversations, and leadership mastery to our doorstep,” she added.
“We are ready to deliver an experience that matches the ambition of this conference.”
According to the organisers, SSHCA 2026 has been designed as a practical, outcome-driven curriculum led by globally rated experts.
The programme opens with international keynotes that set the leadership agenda for the next decade, including,
Elevating Excellence: Cultivating a Culture of Hospitality Leadership will challenge operators to institutionalise service standards that outlast individuals.
White Innovating for Impact: Leadership Strategies for Hospitality Success, will link innovation to measurable guest and revenue outcomes.
Beyond the keynotes, core training workshops will tackle the day-to-day realities of running high-performing teams.
Mastering the Art of Team Leadership and Communication will equip supervisors and department heads with tools for clarity, accountability, and motivation.
Maximizing Revenue: Strategic Pricing for Hospitality Leaders will address rate integrity, demand forecasting, and profit protection in volatile markets.
The practical leadership sessions move from theory to execution, with a strong focus on resilience.
Crisis to Opportunity: Building Resilience in Hospitality Leadership will give managers frameworks for navigating disruption while protecting brand trust. And,
Leading with Impact: Practical Leadership Exercises for Star Managers will put delegates through real-world simulations to test decision-making under pressure.
Expert panels will confront the industry’s biggest questions with candor and data.
Tech-Driven Guest Experiences: Leveraging Innovation for Loyalty will examine how hotels can use technology without losing the human touch. And,
The Future of Hospitality Leadership: Navigating Trends and Challenges will map emerging consumer behavior, ESG demands, and talent shifts shaping 2026 to 2030.
While Building a Winning Team: Strategies for Effective Talent Management in Hospitality will focus on attracting, retaining, and developing top talent in a competitive labor market.
The panel on Operational Excellence in Hospitality: Balancing Quality, Efficiency, and Customer Satisfaction goes deeper into the manager’s dilemma. It will cover quality control systems, process optimization, and data analytics for smarter operating decisions. Uniquely, it will also address how leaders can navigate personal and family pressures while maintaining career success in a demanding industry.
To ensure relevance across functions, SSHCA 2026 will run parallel Specialised Masterclass Tracks. Chefs and F&B leaders will attend Culinary Leadership & Menu Engineering for Repeat Patronage and Food Experience Design — Compelling Guests Beyond the Meal.
Travel trade professionals will access Sales Leadership & Distribution Mastery and Market Innovation & Demand Generation for Hotel Occupancy. QSR operators will focus on QSR Leadership & Profit-Driven Operations for Repeat Traffic and Brand Relevance & Customer Loyalty in Fast Food.
Day 2 will culminate in the Stars of the South Hospitality Awards Gala Dinner.
The awards celebrate outstanding leadership and excellence across 12 categories, from Leadership Excellence and Service to Innovation and Eco-sustainability.
Other categories include Individual, Special, Regional, Corporate Patron, Travel & Tourism Catalyst, Hotel, Restaurant, and State Ministry of Tourism Awards.
“This is where we recognise the brightest stars shaping Nigeria’s hospitality future,” Offor noted.
The conference targets hoteliers, restaurateurs, travel trade professionals, tour operators, travel agencies, event managers, QSR operators, tourism practitioners, catering and culinary institutions, and academics.
It offers a rare convergence of operators, investors, government agencies, and media committed to the South East and South South markets.
Delegate participation is structured to encourage wide access without compromising quality. Registration is now open and space is limited to preserve the quality of engagement.
