Attendees at the 2012 GM event organised by Hotelier Middle East can expect high-profile speakers and great debate. Attendees at the 2012 GM event organised by Hotelier Middle East can expect high-profile speakers and great debate.

The highly-anticipated third annual Great GM Debate will be even bigger and better than the 2011 event, which pulled in an audience of 180 general managers, C-level hoteliers, owners and assets managers.

Last year, guests heard speeches from ADTCA director general HE Mubarak Al Muhairi and Majid Al Marri, director of hotel classification at DTCM, as well as keynote panel discussions featuring some of the biggest names in the hotel industry, alongside a series of interactive workshops led by industry experts.

The line up
This year, attendees can expect an equally-high calibre of speakers and debate, with Jumeirah Group’s newly-promoted president and group CEO Gerald Lawless opening the event.
A unique occasion will follow as three key UAE tourism heads sit side-by-side and address the issue of destination marketing. Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing – UAE executive director for business tourism Hamad M bin Mejren; Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority head of tourism strategy and planning section Sultan Al Dhaheri and Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority COO Victor Louis will all have their say.
Next up, Christie & CO director John Podaras will present the consultancy’s UAE hotel pipeline research shedding light on where significant hospitality developments are happening, when and why.
Armed with the key statistics, a group of panellists, including Accor Middle East’s vice president operations Olivier Hick and Wyndham Hotel Group regional vice president Bani Haddad, will assess the market looking at future growth of the UAE hotel industry.
Another expert in research, TRI Hospitality consultant Chris Hewett, will take a closer look at UAE hotel performance before welcoming more high-profile panellists, including JW Marriott Marquis GM Rupprecht Queitsch, to the floor to discuss ways of boosting profitability.
A number-crunching panel session will follow assessing the real value of the guest experience, featuring St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort general manager John Pelling; Pullman Mall of the Emirates general manager Laurent Chaudet and Ritz-Carlton DIFC general manager Lothar Quarz.

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AT A GLANCE: SPEAKERS 

Here are just some of the hotelier speakers already confirmed for the Great GM Debate 2012
• Gerald Lawless, president and group CEO, Jumeirah Group
• Bani Haddad, regional vice president Middle East and Africa, Wyndham Hotel Group
• Olivier Hick, vice president operations − Gulf and Levant, Accor Middle East
• Bugra Berberoglu, general manager, Emirates Palace Hotel
• Anders Dimblad, general manager, Banyan Tree Al Wadi
• Stewart Selbie, general manager, Le Méridien and Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina
• Alejandro Bernabe, general manager, Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates
• Laurent Chaudet, general manager, Pullman Mall of Emirates
• John Pelling, general manager, St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort
• Francois Galoisy, general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel,Dubai Media City
• Rupprecht Queitsch, general manager, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai
• Lothar Quarz, general manager, Ritz Carlton DIFC
• Oliver Key, general manager, St.Regis Abu Dhabi
• David Brown, general manager, Fraser Suites Dubai

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