EVENT PREVIEW: UAE GREAT GM DEBATE 2012
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.
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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Get involved
Concluding the morning’s events is a choice of four interactive workshops covering HR, F&B, marketing and best practice. As always, our 2012 delegates will be treated to a delectable lunch providing a unique networking opportunity.
The hands-on approach will go on into the afternoon with four synchronised workshops covering ‘training and leading multigenerational, multicultural teams’; ‘delivering bespoke customer service’; ‘working with owners’ and ‘guest profiling for more targeted marketing’.
After a short break, our afternoon panellists will take to the stage to discuss the impact of drastic marketing budget cuts made during the downturn and how hotels can counteract the effects through relationships, CSR and technology.
Bringing the forum to an end, general managers from Emirates Palace Hotel, Le Méridien and Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort and Marina and Banyan Tree Al Wadi will seek to identify the emerging industry trends in the final panel session.
Every year this one-of-its-kind industry debate attracts more delegates and speakers than the last, and feedback just keeps getting better and better.
Moine Kandil, director of operations MEA, Millennium and Copthorne, attended the 2011 event and commented: “This was a significant event which I am sure will benefit the hotel industry in the region through the different insights that were contributed by the well chosen and deserving expert speakers”.
“Thank you for making me a part of this Great General Manager Debate. I am looking forward to being a part of it next time, I really appreciate it,” said Mohammad Khoshnoudi, general manager, Al Seef Hotel Apartments.
It couldn’t be easier to be part of the Great GM Debate. If you haven’t registered yet, simply email sue.lobo@itp.com or visit the website www.hoteliermiddleeast.com/conferences/uae/ for further details.
AT A GLANCE: PAST SPEAKER TESTIMONIALS
The 2011 events was deemed a success by both attendees and speakers…
“The debate gave the industry the chance to explore new opportunities needed to engender sustainability in what is an accepted challenging environment. The coming together for a meeting of minds and information exchange is essential as we move forward in destination development.”
HE Mubarak Al Muhairi, director general, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority
“It was an honour to participate in this event and share best practices and anecdotes with esteemed colleagues from the region. It is always an enriching experience to step back from our daily tasks and think about the nature of our work and how it is evolving. I really enjoyed the GM Debate, in particular the exchanges on the future of the tourism industry in the UAE.”
Marwan Al Ali, senior vice president of operations Middle East, Africa and South Asia, Jumeirah Group
“A very well-organised event and I am sure the GMs got a lot out of the panels.”
Mark Patten, vice president culinary, Atlantis The Palm, Dubai