The Hotel & Hospitality Expo, taking place at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Centre from September 10 to 12, will put the spotlight on the kingdom's multi-billion-dollar hospitality plans.
The show, which has been rebranded from The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia to better reflect the current trends and landscape of the hospitality industry, will remain the leading event for all things related to the hospitality sector in the Kingdom.
With around $110 billion pegged for the hospitality industry and a further 310,000 hotel rooms in the pipeline, Saudi Arabia is undergoing a transformative boom as it aggressively looks to lead the global travel and hospitality industry.
Over the last few years, as part of its social and economic blueprint Vision 2030, the kingdom has made significant strides in its hospitality industry with the government looking to attract 100 million visitors per year within the next decade, investing billions in hotel construction and infrastructure, and building brand new sustainable cities along its coasts and deserts while attracting a swathe of foreign investment. Today, the country leads the Middle East and African region and is behind only China and the US in the global hotel construction market.
Co-located with INDEX Saudi Arabia and the Lighting Design & Technology Expo, the Hotel & Hospitality Expo connects manufacturers and suppliers in the hotel and hospitality industry with buyers in the kingdom.
“To better focus and grow our attention in the hotel and hospitality industry, The Hotel Show Saudi Arabia has undergone a rebrand,” said Elaine O’Connell, Vice President Design and Hospitality of dmg events, which organises the Hotel & Hospitality Expo.
“We've modernised the event to reflect the latest trends in the industry, and we're confident that this fresh approach will make it an even more engaging and enjoyable experience for everyone involved. The rebrand also means that there is increased visibility and access to a highly engaged and relevant audience, which we believe will help our stakeholders and exhibitors grow their business and establish new partnerships.”
The expo will feature a number of events, including the Hospitality Leaders' Summit, which will bring together government and private sector experts from across the Middle East and Saudi Arabia to explore the current hospitality industry and offer insight into the industry's future.
To highlight the key issues and trends at this year's Hotel & Hospitality Expo, the show's advisory board, comprising some of Saudi Arabia’s top hospitality experts, conducted studies to identify the industry’s challenges and solutions, and map out the future of the hotel and hospitality landscape in the country.
The findings revealed that sustainability, Saudi tourism, supply chain and logistics, developing finance, cultivating skills and honing talent, and looking at how big brands can support and drive the local economy, were the hot topics in the Saudi hotel and hospitality industry.
These included Richard Adam, the Director Destination Strategy & Commercial Development AFI, NEOM; Tom Stevens, the Vice President Operations, Rotana Hotel Management Corporation; Imran Changezi, the Senior Director Hospitality Development, Diryah Gate Company; Nadeem Zaman, the Chief Advisor to the Minister, Ministry of Investment, Saudi Arabia; Saeed Albially, the Vice President Development, Knowledge Economic City; Alessandro Maria Tedesco, the Chief Operating Officer, Febc Group; Rabih Feghali, the Senior Director Hospitality, Red Sea Global; Amit Nayak, the Vice President, Hospitality Asset Managers Association, HAMA; Dr Ayman Alwaleedi, Project Development - Executive Director, Rua Al Madinah Holding Company and Jean-Baptiste Recher, Regional Vice President Development Luxury Brands MEAT, Accor.
The other key highlights of this year's expo include the popular Chefs' Mystery Box Challenge, which sees 8-12 teams from the region's leading hotels and restaurants go head-to-head in a culinary battle as they create a three-course meal from a mystery ingredients box.
The Saudi Hospitality Talent Awards will also be part of the expo, to recognise the skill, talent and sheer brilliance of hardworking individuals from the Saudi hospitality sector.-TradeArabia News Service
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