In brief

Po na na man killed

Gary Hutchinson, operations director of bar group Po Na Na, was killed in a road accident last week. Hutchinson was responsible for the daily operation of the bars, the acquisition and renewal of licences, liaising with local authorities on planning matters and overseeing openings.

Hilton deal talks

Hotel group Hilton is in "ongoing talks" with several interested parties about a possible sale-and-leaseback of 10 hotels, worth about £350m. According to the group it has had a lot of interest in the deal but is "not there yet".

Meetings, meetings

Managers of small catering and hotel businesses spend almost three-quarters of their time in meetings - more than retail, manufacturing, or other service industries - according to a survey commissioned by British Gas. It surveyed 475 business owners with between six and 50 employees.

Masterclass date

Caterer.com has teamed up with people-retention company Learnpurple to present a series of 90-minute "masterclasses" for hospitality industry professionals. The first, looking at how to make stress work for you, takes place at the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane, London, on 28 May. See www.caterer.com/learning.