Frits Dirk van Paasschen, author of The Disruptors Feast and former CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts.
The Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2018 (AHIC) will kick off with a ‘Day of Disruption.’ It’s aimed to bring insight to the hospitality investment industry from thinkers working in various sectors, from cybersecurity and cryptocurrencies to marketing and motorsports, a statement said.
AHIC founder and chairman of Bench Events Jonathan Worsley said: “The hospitality industry is often criticised for not keeping ahead of trends or driving innovation. That’s because hotels are a rooms-based business model, offering bed and breakfast – something that will always be needed, as long as people continue to travel. There is little motivation, quite understandably, to change this.
“However, as the hotel market in this region matures, competition increases, putting performance and profitability under pressure, so investors are quite rightly focusing on the future and carefully analysing the potential of current and future assets alike,” Worsley further commented.
The Day of Disruption will be attended by CEOs from companies such as Winding Tree, Vayner Media and TINT who will share their knowledge and experiences in the industry. Worsley stated in the statement that he believes this will fuel debate for the rest of AHIC.
Author of The Disruptor’s Feast and former CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Frits Dirk van Paasschen will headline The Day of Disruption on April 17. According to van Paasschen, established interests, change-blindness and set ways of working mean hotel brands will wake up too late to disruption, making it nearly impossible for incumbents to survive, the statement said.
The Day of Disruption will also include speakers like Winding Tree CEO Maksim Izmaylov and Tint CEO Tim Sae Koo.
The conference will also include a live hack of the AHIC 2018 audience, led by Richard Neale of Counterhack; modern leadership advice from Ferrari’s Mark Arnall, trainer of F1 star Kimi Räikkönen; and a panel session featuring ‘Challengers of the Status Quo’ moderated by Eric Fulwiler, executive director of VaynerMedia.
AHIC 2018, the 14th edition, will take place from April 17 to 19 at the purpose-built AHIC Village in Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah in partnership with Ras Al Khaimah Tourism Development Authority (RAKTDA).
| Advertisement |
Search our database of more than 2,700 industry companies
