With just a few days until the start of the second Arabian Hotel Investment Conference, delegate registrations have already exceeded last year’s total, and the event is shaping up to become a key date in the global hospitality sector calendar.
According to organiser Jonathan Worsley, AHIC has attracted interest from both the Middle East and further afield, reflecting the growing importance of the region as one where every hotel chain wants to be represented.
“We have an unrivalled list of speakers, from Donald Trump Jr to Greg Norman, along with senior management from many of the big names in hotels such as Marriott, InterContinental, Rezidor SAS, Kempinski, Hilton, Movenpick, Accor, Starwood, Rotana, Jumeirah and many more,” he said.
“It is also a testament to the appeal of the Gulf in particular that AHIC has also attracted speakers from the new players in the market, such as Armani, Missoni, easyHotel, Campbell Gray and IFA, as well a wide representation from the region including speakers from Nakheel, Dubai Sports City, Abu Dhabi Tourist Authority, investment institutions, design and construction companies.”
Almost 700 senior industry delegates have registered for the conference to date, added Worsley, with more than half of these visiting from outside the region.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference will run from April 29 - May 1, 2006 at Dubai’s Madinat Jumeirah conference centre. The conference is organised by Jonathan Worsley, Managing Director of International Hospitality Services and MEED Conferences. Details of AHIC can be found on www.arabianconference.com.
Platinum sponsors at the 2006 event are: GuestInvest; Kingdom Hotel Investments; Nakheel Hotels & Resorts and Rezidor SAS Hospitality.
Gold sponsors are: Accor; ALDhiyafa Holdings Company; Arabian Travel Market; Armani Hotels & Resorts; Cendant Vacation Network Group; Deloitte; Emirates; Euro RSCG Furness; Fairmont Hotels & Resorts; Government of Tanzania; Group 32 Snow Dome; Gulf Air; Hamilton Hotel Partners; Hilton International; HVS International; IFA Hotels & Resorts; Integra TV; InterContinental Hotels & Resorts; Interval International; Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels; Jumeirah; Kempinski; Marriott International; Morgan Stanley; Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts; OBM International; Port Ghalib Egypt; Rotana Hotels; RSP Group; Shaza Hotels; Sidley Austin; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; TRI Hospitality Consulting Middle East, Turks & Caicos and UG Recker.
Media sponsors are: AME Info, CNBC Arabia, Global Hospitality Resources, Hotelier Middle East; HOTELS, Sleeper and TTN.
Supporters are: Dubai Convention Bureau, Emirates Academy of Hospitality; International Hotel & Restaurant Association; International Business Leaders Forum, Villeroy & Boch; the World Travel & Tourism Council and WOW Travels.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference will run from April 29 - May 1, 2006 on the eve of Arabian Travel Market. The conference is organised by Jonathan Worsley, Managing Director of International Hospitality Services and MEED, the Middle East business information group. Details of AHIC can be found on www.arabianconference.com.
About the organisers:
International Hospitality Services
Jonathan Worsley, Managing Director of International Hospitality Services, is a consultant to CB Richard Ellis Hotels and 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 world-wide in the travel & tourism industry. He is also a partner and board member of The Bench (www.thebench.com) which provides online real time daily benchmarking data for the hotel industry in over 96 destinations worldwide. His view is that there is a need for more transparency in the industry to allow for greater liquidity in the marketplace.
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 world-wide.
MEED Conferences is part of the leading information brand in the Middle East working to provide delegates with the very latest business sensitive information. Over the past 10 years, 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.
Contact: katherine.jacques@emap.com on +44 20 7505 6020
