Dubai: The 10th Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) will bring together the hospitality industry’s top players as it opens on Sunday.
It is held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and Group.
The two-day event, which will take place at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, expects to attract over 550 delegates.
“With over 100 speakers, there are more sessions than ever,” said Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench Events, one of the organisers of AHIC 2014.
Among the participants are Starwood Hotels and Resorts, InterContinental Hotels Group, Jumeirah Group, Accor, King Abdullah Economic City, Al Habtoor Group, Hilton Worldwide and Marriott International.
Key sessions
The hotel conference’s sessions will highlight the industry’s trends and challenges.
Helal Saeed Al Merri, director-general of the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), will be speaking at a session on Dubai’s next step to achieving its tourism vision for 2020. Under the vision, announced last year, the number of visitors in Dubai is expected to double visitor numbers from 10 million in 2012 to 20 million by 2020.
Al Merri will be joined by Paul Griffiths, chief executive of Dubai Airports, and Gerald Lawless, president and group chief executive of Jumeirah Group, a luxury hotel company.
Focusing on the economic impact of hosting events in the region is a session called “Beyond the hype — Creating real value from mega-events.” This will see panellists discussing how a host country can develop the appropriate infrastructure for big, significant events.
GCC growth
Meanwhile, another session called “Vision for the GCC and beyond” will highlight the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries’ plans for sustainable growth, demand generators and tourism infrastructure, and how partnerships between the public and private sectors are facilitating investment into the sector.
There will be an opening presentation from Shaikh Maktoum Hasher Al Maktoum, executive chairman of Shuaa Capital and chairman of Dubai International Holding Company.
In addition, Shaikh Ahmad will present the AHIC 2014 Leadership Award to Prince Sultan Bin Salman Bin Abdul Aziz, president and chairman of the board for the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiquities (SCTA).
New additions
New to the hotel conference this year will be “Present your Project,” a session which will allow developers to present their projects in front of AHIC attendees, according to Worsley.
Also, the event will host a Saudi symposium with sessions on the key markets for development, given hotel developers’ interest in the country, he said.
