As part of a nationwide competition, leading hotel brand Radisson Blu searched the country high and low to find six mini CEOs (Child Entertainment Officers) to review the hotel brand’s family offering. Aged between 6 and 10 years old, the shortlisted CEOs were invited to complete a research weekend at a Radisson Blu hotel of their choice, and attend a ‘board meeting’ in London. During the final task, each of the regional winners were asked to present a family-friendly idea to senior Radisson Blu executives, that could be implemented across a selection of hotels within its UK & Ireland portfolio.
The overall winner of the boardroom task was Aidan Smith, aged 9 from Glasgow, who was originally shortlisted from 100’s of entries received. Aidan applied for the role to review a number of child-friendly facilities at the Radisson Blu in Edinburgh. During the ‘working’ weekend, he was given his own currency to spend in the hotel’s restaurant and bar, tested out his colouring-in skills, sampled the children’s menu, created his own ice cream and shook his own salads, among other things. There was plenty to keep him busy, but it was his idea of including a magic trick within the children’s Global Explorers Pack, that really caught the eye of the judging panel.
Upon hearing that he had won the competition and a family holiday at the recently opened Radisson Blu Resort Gran Canaria Mogan, Aidan commented: “”It was great visiting lots of different Radisson Blu hotels, and it felt so good when I found out I was the winning Mini CEO. I’m really looking forward to seeing my activity included in the Global Explorers Pack. I’ve been practising magic since I was 4 years old and wanted other children to see how much fun it could be. My trick is called ‘The Four Robbers Trick’ where you place four cards into the middle of the pack, but then they magically appear at the top of the pack!”
Commenting on Aidan’s participation, Marketing Director Steve Manfield said: “To become the Mini CEO (Chief Entertainment Officer) for Radisson Blu, we wanted applicants that would be able to push our family offering to the limits, but to also see if there were any activities that we hadn’t already thought of and Aidan’s idea really caught our imagination. We are delighted he had such an enjoyable experience, which tells us our hotels genuinely understand how to provide a great guest experience for families”.
