Jumeirah Group's Gerald Lawless will again take to the lectern to share his advice with 200-plus general managers. Jumeirah Group's Gerald Lawless will again take to the lectern to share his advice with 200-plus general managers.

The agenda is set, speakers lined up and sponsors confirmed for the fourth annual Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate in Dubai next week, which is themed around Hospitality’s Leaders, Innovators and Game Changers.

The countdown is on to Hotelier Middle East Great GM Debate, a unique discussion and networking forum for hotel general managers being held at Jumeirah Beach Hotel on September 9.

There are a few changes to the agenda for this year’s conference, now in its fourth edition, with close to 20 new speakers and some new session formats all revolving around a central theme of Hospitality’s Leaders, Innovators and Game Changers.

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Excitingly, the conference will open with an exclusive live-on-stage interview with Rudi Jagersbacher, president MEA, Hilton Worldwide, conducted by Hotelier Middle East editor Louise Oakley.

Ranked number one in this year’s Hotelier Middle East Power 50, Jagersbacher will share some key insights and anecdotes from his 40-year hospitality career, as well as his outlook on the future growth for the hotel business in the UAE.

Continuing this theme, the agenda is peppered with short speeches from some prominent hospitality figures in the UAE. In a new series of sessions, called ‘Take Five’, Gerald Lawless, president and group CEO, Jumeirah Group will speak about ‘The One Piece of Advice I Live by’; Karim Bizid, GM, The Oberoi Dubai, will share ideas on ‘How I Keep My Passion for Hospitality Alive’; and Jason Myers, MD Jumeirah Restaurants and general manager — operations, Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts, will reveal ‘The Best Mistake I Ever Made’.

The opening session brings together four regional experts to discuss how to stay competitive and plan for the long-term. Omer Kaddouri, COO, Rotana; Olivier Hick, VP operations, Gulf and Levant countries, Accor; Christian Grage, VP operations for the Arabian Peninsula, Hilton Worldwide; and Mohamed Awadalla, area VP, Time Hotels, will take to the stage for this debate.

Another highlight will be a panel entitled Winning Guests, which will comprise travel trade, e-distribution and hotel experts to discuss challenges and share best practices. It will be moderated by Leo Fewtrell, secretary general of the Gulf Travel & Tourism Association Committee.

The hot topic of F&B management will also come under the spotlight, with Hakkasan’s Henk Bruggeman, director operations — Middle East and China moderating a panel discussion on whether hotels can compete in F&B.

With panelists including Rupprecht Quietsch, general manager, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel Dubai, Gert Kopera, senior vice president food and beverage, Jumeirah Group and Luigi Romaniello, managing director, Rosewood Abu Dhabi, Bruggmen will question pricing, creativity, business models and ambience in hotel-based outlets.

Prior to lunch, the 200-plus delegates will be able to select from a range of more intimate, interactive workshops in which to partake. These include: Profit per square foot — are you making the best use of space in your property?; Optimising web, social and mobile opportunities for your property; and F&B Concepts — are there any genuinely new ideas left?

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