Caterer Middle East is for the first time this year hosting two industry specific conferences: The Bar and Nightlife Forum and the Chefs and Ingredients Forum.
Held on October 8 and October 9 respectively, the conferences invite industry professionals to share their experiences of current working practices and thoughts on how to improve both individual businesses and the industry as a whole.
TO APPLY FOR A FREE GUEST PASS EMAIL sue.lobo@itp.com
With over 150 delegates attending the first one-day Caterer Middle East Conference held in March, it became clear that the industry is demanding more of these events as it grows.
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The two-day conference which will be held at the Mina A’ Salam at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, has already seen over 200 industry professionals sign up with a further 100 expected to register.
The Line Up – Day 1: Bars and Nightlife Forum
In the last three years the UAE’s bar and nightlife scene has exploded, now standing on a global stage with some of the world’s most high-end and spectacular venues and more special events than ever before. The Bars and Nightlife Forum is expected to dissect the thriving venues in the region to find out the recipe behind their success.
A number of high profile industry speakers including Stephen Mannin, operations manager for Nasimi Beach Atlantis The Palm; Luke James, director of operations Media One Hotel; Steve Kirby, outlet manager, Left Bank and; Aidan Keane founder of Keane Brands, will be discussing various topics from trends to training and marketing.
The day will comprise of panel discussions, keynote addresses and interactive workshops which are all designed to provide attendees an opportunity to find out what’s hot and happening and equally what is not.
Keane, with experience of operating over 40 venues, designing many himself, has a keen eye for design and an awareness of what people are looking for in different markets. He will be moderating the session that looks at Design Concepts that Deliver Bottom Line Results.
“What a designer thinks is successful often differs from an operators’ measure. I want to highlight what success looks like in the eyes of different people,” he told Caterer Middle East.
Following the success of international outlets such as Blue Marlin, Mahiki, Movida and Cirque Du Soir comes news of the regional launch of Cafe Del Mar in 2012/2013. One of the areas of focus at the conference will be whether international brands are good for the UAE bar and nightlife scene.
Bar manager for the Cavalli Club Dubai, Motorga Heathcliff hopes to be able to share his thoughts on why it is equally as important to take successful homegrown brands worldwide.
“Going international is a big step which involves consistency and setting up highest standards of operation, being innovative and being in a line with the current market needs. Cavalli Club Restaurant and Lounge is rare example of bringing a whole new lifestyle concept to Dubai nightlife. After years of successful operation is set to open in many leading nightlife destination worldwide,” he says.
Cocktail expert and Caterer’s Bar Manager of the Year last year, Ferdie Idris will be discussing the upcoming trends for 2013 including skinny cocktails, organic and botanical ranges, interactive juices and perhaps the possibility of re-introducing retro bar products.
“It’s not about copy/pasting from one bar to the next, it is the creator who has the biggest impact in the industry,” says Idris. “This discussion will perhaps give a very positive insight on how the bar and nightlife experts prepare and deal with 2013 trends.
Discussions will surround how nightlife is evolving, tailoring an effective design concept and how choice of location can impact trade.
“I am looking forward to learning about the latest beverage trends and innovations in the industry at the Caterer Bars and Nightlife Conference,” this year’s Bartender of the Year Joseph Mijares told Caterer Middle East. “This conference will be a fantastic opportunity to exchange new ideas with beverage experts, as well as learning about innovative new products in the market.”
Click through to the next page to hear what’s in store for day 2…
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