Wyboston Lakes leader recognised for inclusion in hospitality

Wyboston Lakes Resort’s food and beverage leader has been named as a role model for inclusion in the hospitality and travel sectors, underlining how venue operators are placing greater emphasis on diversity, equity and belonging across their teams and guest experience.

Mihail Costea, food and beverage manager at the Bedfordshire-based conference and events resort, has been selected to feature in the 2026 Retail Index compiled by WiHTL & Diversity in Retail in partnership with executive search and advisory firm The MBS Group. The index highlights individuals regarded as champions of inclusion across retail, hospitality and travel.

Background and industry context

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Across the business events, hospitality and travel ecosystem, inclusion has moved from being a human resources topic to a strategic priority that influences venue selection, supplier partnerships and attendee experience design. Corporate event organisers, particularly in sectors with formal ESG commitments, are increasingly assessing how venues demonstrate inclusive employment practices and support diverse audiences.

Industry initiatives such as WiHTL & Diversity in Retail have emerged to support this shift, profiling leaders who embed inclusive behaviours in everyday operations and decision-making. By recognising individuals at venue level, these programmes aim to show how inclusive practices can be applied on the ground in hotels, resorts and conference centres that host meetings, incentives and large-scale events.

Key development: recognition for Wyboston Lakes Resort manager

Costea, who joined Wyboston Lakes Resort in 2022, has been selected as one of the role models to be profiled in the 2026 Retail Index. The publication is designed to showcase people in retail, hospitality and travel who are seen as driving inclusion within their organisations and wider sectors.

In his role at Wyboston Lakes Resort, Costea oversees food and beverage operations across the property’s events, conference and hospitality spaces. His remit covers front-of-house teams, back-of-house operations and the guest journey across a range of corporate meetings, training events, exhibitions and leisure stays.

While the details of his profile in the forthcoming index have not yet been publicly released, the decision to include a venue-based food and beverage manager signals that inclusive leadership is being recognised not only at board or executive level but also within operational management teams that directly influence the day-to-day experience of event participants and hospitality guests.

Industry impact for venues and event operations

The recognition of a resort-level manager in a cross-sector inclusion index highlights the growing expectation that venues embed diversity and inclusion principles in practical ways, from staffing and training to menu design and service standards. For multi-purpose properties like Wyboston Lakes Resort, which hosts conferences, exhibitions, training programmes and corporate retreats, inclusive food and beverage operations are central to delivering accessible and welcoming events.

For event organisers, this kind of leadership can translate into:

More responsive catering to a wide range of dietary, cultural and religious requirements.
Frontline teams trained to serve diverse audiences professionally and sensitively.
Operational policies that consider accessibility, language, culture and different needs among attendees and staff.
Closer alignment with clients’ own diversity and inclusion objectives, particularly for global organisations.

From a workforce perspective, inclusive management in food and beverage departments can support higher engagement and retention in an area of hospitality that traditionally faces high staff turnover. Clear role modelling of inclusive behaviours from department heads can influence recruitment practices, scheduling, promotion opportunities and the working environment for teams who support events on a daily basis.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

For event professionals, the inclusion of a resort food and beverage manager in a high-profile index serves as a reminder that venue selection increasingly involves more than capacity, location and technology infrastructure. Buyers are asking how properties approach inclusion across both physical spaces and human interactions, including:

How staff are trained to support delegates with different cultural backgrounds, dietary needs and accessibility requirements.
Whether inclusive practices are embedded in standard operating procedures rather than handled ad hoc.
How front-of-house and catering teams collaborate with event organisers to anticipate and meet attendee needs.

For event technology providers, this trend reinforces the need to support venues and organisers with tools that make inclusive practices easier to implement and track. Examples include attendee management systems that capture accessibility and dietary requirements during registration, back-of-house solutions that help catering teams plan and execute tailored menus at scale, and feedback platforms that surface gaps in the attendee experience.

As venues like Wyboston Lakes Resort gain recognition for inclusive leadership in operational roles, there is likely to be greater demand for technologies that help standardise and measure inclusive service delivery. This could include analytics around service responsiveness, staff training completion, or satisfaction scores broken down by different attendee groups, as well as integrations that enable event planners to share requirements seamlessly with venue teams.

Conclusion

The decision to spotlight Wyboston Lakes Resort’s food and beverage manager, Mihail Costea, in the 2026 Retail Index from WiHTL & Diversity in Retail and The MBS Group reflects the broader direction of travel for hospitality and events: inclusion is becoming a core operational discipline, not a peripheral initiative.

For B2B event organisers, meeting planners and technology partners, this recognition underscores the importance of engaging with venues that demonstrate inclusive leadership at multiple levels of their organisation. As expectations around diversity and inclusion grow, properties that can evidence practical, day-to-day inclusive practices in departments like food and beverage are likely to be better positioned to win and retain event business from clients with strong ESG and people agendas.

While the full details of Costea’s profile in the 2026 Retail Index are still to come, his inclusion signals that the industry is paying closer attention to the professionals who translate inclusion strategies into tangible experiences for event attendees and hospitality guests.