Procurement professionals from hotels in the GCC will gather at the inaugural Hotelier Middle East Procurement Summit to discuss challenges and strategies to successfully run one of the most important departments in a hotel.
The Hotelier Middle East Procurement Summit, which will be held on November 19, 2013 in Dubai, is expected to bring together more than 100 leading procurement professionals from hotels across the GCC.
During the course of the one-day event, procurement managers, often called the gatekeepers of the hotel, will take a strategic look at the way they do business, network with their peers, and benchmark practices against the best in the region.
| Advertisement |
Key topics of discussion at the inaugural Procurement Summit will include quality assurance and pre-qualification; supplier and product audits; strengthening and restructuring the hotel procurement department; keeping up with new technology; and transparency and safeguards.
Other topics that will form the debate include resetting buyer-supplier relationships; effective vendor management; working with owners and outsourcing; centralised procurement; e-procurement; and educating suppliers.
One of the most difficult jobs in the industry, procurement managers have to maintain a delicate balance between negotiating the lowest price for products with various suppliers, while maintaining the high quality standards for products and services used by the property or brand.
As the decision makers for a hotel’s purchasing practices, procurement professionals have to actively seek creative new ways to serve the best interest of the hotel while building lasting relationships with suppliers.
Over the course of the day, the event will comprise of four panel discussions, which will tackle various issues procurement teams face, as set by the event’s advisory panel, which includes InterContinental Hotels Group Dubai Festival City director of procurement Akbar Siddiqi; Park Hyatt Abu Dhabi Hotel and Villas purchasing manager Asif Kayani; Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers purchasing and materials manager Sunil Haridas; and Jumeirah at Etihad Towers procurement manager — finance, Radha Valiathan.
The morning will begin with a debate on best practices and how the region measures up to the rest of the world; whether there is an ideal structure and position within the organisation that can facilitate the procurement team’s goals; and how to maximise opportunities in both pre-opening and operational phases.
Article continues on next page ...
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
