It was today announced that the cream of Arabian and Worldwide tourism decision makers will again descend upon the Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai for the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) from April 28-30, 2007.
In Dubai today to launch the third powerhouse AHIC, event organiser Jonathan Worsley met with Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the Director of Civil Aviation Authority and President of Emirates Group, to thank him for his continued patronage of the event and ask for his input on next year’s event and the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Worsely said: “I am delighted to announce next year’s exciting Arabian Hotel Investment Conference. The event has quickly become an integral part of the region’s tourism industry and top-level alliances are being forged and decisions made.
“The entire event is geared towards networking and the sharing of ideas and this is the repeated delegate feedback. Tourism has become so important in this region and, particularly in Dubai, there is an incredible amount of business being done.
“Also, it’s not often that the eminent tourism leaders can get together under one roof and have time to discuss the vision for the future. The whole event is focused on communication and this is the biggest attraction. It is more a high level networking event with a conference element.”
The first event in 2005 quickly sold out its 525 delegate spaces, 2006’s AHIC’s increased allocation of 800 spaces went almost as quickly and this year organisers have again expanded the event, looking to reaching the 1,000 delegate mark. With some of the biggest names in global tourism already invited it is likely to sell out just as quickly.
He added: “As well as an unparalleled networking event, the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference focuses on issues that concern every player in the regional industry, from mega-projects to financing and areas such as fractional ownership and human resources.
“Together with members of our advisory panel, we are now evaluating topics of interest to set the agenda for 2007, and are looking to cover key issues such as global aspirations and sustainable development.”
Held as a precursor to the more exhibition-focused Arabian Travel Market in Dubai, industry leaders were open in their praise of last year’s event.
Hotels magazine’s editor in chief, Jeff Weinstein, said: This is the hottest market in the world and AHIC has already become a must-attend event in the hotel investment community. A great networking and educational event.”
Praising the format that combined conference presentations with panel breakout sessions, Wael Al-Lawati, acting CEO of Waterfront Investments claimed it was “The most focused and relevant annual event in the Middle East tourism itinerary.”
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference is organised by Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, and MEED, the Middle East business information group. Details of AHIC can be found on www.arabianconference.com
Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench and a consultant to CB Richard Ellis Hotels, is one of the organisers and founders of the International Hotel Investment Forum held each year in Berlin. In 2005, he was responsible for launching the successful Arabian Hotel Investment Conference with MEED Conferences. Worsley sits as an advisor to the World Travel & Tourism Council, which represents many of the leading companies operating worldwide in the travel and tourism industry. The Bench (www.thebench.com), provides online real time daily benchmarking data for the hotel industry in over 96 destinations worldwide.
jonathan.worsley@thebench.com on +44 1483 835794
or gillian.powell@thebench.com on +44 208 297 2053
MEED
MEED (Middle East Economic Digest) is internationally recognised as providing essential information for anyone doing business in, or with, the Middle East and North Africa. MEED now attracts over 70,000 individual readers each week, across 70 countries worldwide.
MEED Conferences is part of the leading information brand in the Middle East working to provide delegates with the very latest business sensitive information. For more than a decade, MEED Conferences has organised events attended by senior government officials and thousands of international business people. The conference series is aimed at companies active or seeking business in the markets of the Middle East. MEED is well established as the source of strategic and accurate regional information placing it in a unique position to bring together high-calibre speakers.
