Welcome to the Hotel Show Dubai 2016

Gary Williams, event director, dmg events hospitality and leisure portfolio

This time last year there were 694 hotel projects in the Middle East and Africa pipeline. Today there are 882, forecast to bring more than 230,000 new hotel rooms to the market in the next five years. The portfolio of new properties is increasingly diverse and at the forefront of innovation, as this region continues to set new standards across star ratings, architecture, design, service, and other core elements of the hospitality mix.

2016 is an exciting year for Dubai with a projected 10,000 new hotel rooms, and brands entering the market for the first time including: W, Hard Rock, and Nikki Beach. As the UAE grows closer to becoming one of the world’s leading destinations for leisure and entertainment, the gates to Dubai Parks and Resorts and IMG Worlds of Adventure will open.

In 17 years, The Hotel Show Dubai has developed with the market, witnessing significant diversification and growth. Co-located event The Leisure Show entered the mix in 2013 to cater to the region’s growing leisure industry, and last year the events saw more than more than 30,000 attendees combined. New for 2016, Piscine Middle East, the region’s leading pool and spa event, will be co-located in partnership with GL events.

In sync with a leading industry trend, technology now represents 22% of The Hotel Show’s product mix, with international technology suppliers, the TecSec (Technology & Security) Summit, and new for 2016: Tec-Innovation Zone. Each year, exhibitor stands in this sector become more interactive. Through the construction of model hotel rooms, visitors can experience first-hand new methods of room automation and other technologies ‘live’ at the event.

The Hotel Show extends its global reach with new countries added to its ‘International Village’, now covering 46% of the show floor. Austria is new to the line-up for 2016, while Portugal is a country pavilion to watch.

The popular Vision Conference will return for its fourth edition with international experts sharing insights on themes including F&B, investment, lifestyle experiences, and UAE theme parks. Speakers this year include representatives from the brand-new W Dubai — Al Habtoor City and Nikki Beach Resort & Spa Dubai, alongside Deloitte, TOPHOTELPROJECTS, and more.

Day one of the conference will include, for the first time, a certified training programme in partnership with Modul University Dubai on digital marketing. This topic was identified by you — the region’s hoteliers, as part of a survey we conducted to find out which topic would be of the most value to you in an external training course.

The Hotel Show Dubai is the ultimate platform to source everything needed to build, develop and maintain a hotel or restaurant in this region, network, and keep up-to-date with the latest industry trends. With strategic partners Dubai Tourism and official media partners Hotelier and Caterer, we invite you to join us in September at the largest and most exciting edition of The Hotel Show to date.

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