After the first successful showing of Caterer Middle East’s Bar and Nightlife and Chef & Ingredients forums, October 7 & 8, 2013 will see their return at the InterContinental Dubai Festival City.
The forums 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.
Initial advisory panels for both forums will help refine the agenda as it develops to ensure the hottest topics and biggest questions are addressed.
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The advisory panel for Chefs & Ingredients includes Fairmont Bab Al Bahr executive chef Cladys Magagna, Mango Tree Middle East brand chef Paul Kennedy, and Yas Viceroy Abu Dhabi executive chef Michel Jost.
For Bar & Nightlife, Cavalli Club Restaurant & Lounge bar manager Motorgo Heathcliff, Media One Hotel director of operations Luke James, and Okku co-founder Markus Thesleff will set the agenda.
Let us review how the 2012 events played out, a month before the next editions roll around:
Bar and Nightlife Forum - 2012 show report
Held on October 8, 2012, more than 120 bar, operations and outlet managers came together to discuss the opportunities for growth and debate key challenges facing the bar & nightlife industry.
The opening discussion focused on the UAE industry’s evolution into a world class nightlife destination and which outlets stand out in today’s competitive market.
Panelists asserted the need to establish more cohesion, not competition, in the nightlife industry — a sentiment evident in many discussion points throughout the day.
Following that, speakers debated how to boost profitability and how drink-savvy consumers in the region really are. Despite some vastly different viewpoints, all believed in the importance of offering something unique to consumers.
The speaker line-up comprised 20 experienced hospitality professionals, from general managers and club founders to operations, bar, club and beverage managers, sommeliers, mixologists, and consultants.
These included Think ME co-founder Greg Dufton, Zuma’s bar manager Jimmy Barrat, Irish Village operations manager Dave Cattanach, Bushido – Bahrain general manager Nicholas Budzynski, Cirque du Soir club manager Sam Razaghi and others.
Budzynski said: “Such gatherings help industry professionals to better understand the current and future trends and also realise that the industry has a common goal — providing unique experiences to our guests.”
Yas Island Rotana - Golf Plaza Yas Island Y-bar manager Ferdie Idris said: “This type of discussion is very rare in the UAE and I believe will positively impact how industry experts prepare and deal with the upcoming trends and develop service brand culture to deliver stronger products for the market.”
Sofitel Resort & Spa director of F&B David Hirber added: “Overall the Bar & Nightlife Forum is a great initiative and a good opportunity to catch up with counterparts in the industry.”
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