Iran is committed towards economic growth and transforming the country into a popular destination for business and leisure tourism, and business leaders will plan this revamp of Iran’s hospitality industryÊat the first Iran Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (IHTIC) in Tehran.
Human resources, air connectivity and investment are the viewed as the key to growth of the Iranian tourism sector, which will be discussed at the conference hosted by Bench Events from February 7-8.
ÒWe’re very pleased to be hosting IHTIC at such an important time, as the country embraces growth and becomes a significant investment destination,Ó said Jonathan Worsley, the Chairman of Bench Events. ÒThe conference will tackle plenty of issues from management contracts, finance, airline connectivity and human resources.Ó
According to the latest Euromonitor report, ÒTravel in IranÓ, hotels are a key weakness, and are under-supplied and under-resourced from a staffing perspective. ÒWith the relaxing of sanctions in Iran, the industry urgently needs to tackle the employment challenges it faces,Ó said Mr Worsley. ÒIt will be extremely interesting to hear from speakers at IHTIC what plans are being drawn up to facilitate improvements in education and training.Ó
To help address the human resource issue, Georges R. Chakar, Managing Partner at Link ME Global will host a session on the importance of human capital. He will be joined by Mehrdad Agah, the founder and CEO of AgahJobs and Managing Partner in Eiger International Executive Search; Zaid Maleh, the Managing Director at MODUL University Dubai; Olivier Verschelde, the Senior Consultant at Lausanne Hospitality Consulting, and Negar Teimourzadeh, the Partner at Sarcheshmeh. They will discuss recent educational trends and how to recruite and retain the right talent in new emerging markets such as Iran.ÊDuring the conference, MODUL University Dubai will announce the winner of a full scholarship for its globally-recognised Certified Hospitality Professional course.
The Euromonitor report highlighted the issue of connectivity, with flights, airlines and airport capacity major problems for the industry. In an exclusive session hosted by Akbar Ghamkhar, the Chairman of Rastin Tours; Farhad Parvaresh, the Chairman and Managing Director of IranAir, and Heidar Vatankhah, the Deputy CEO of Global Aviation Services Group, will discuss the rapid growth of aviation and its impact on tourism infrastructure and investment. The business leaders will uncover plans for development of the industry, including which markets will be connected and the new opportunities that will be created for investors.
Industry CEOs will come together on a panel to discuss what needs to be done to bring Iran’s hospitality scene up to international standards, and how the public and private sector can work together to attract the necessary investment. This panel will be hosted by mer Isvan, the President of Servotel Corporation, and joining him will be Puneet Chhatwal, the CEO of Deutsche Hospitality; Steven Daines, the CEO of New Businesses & Middle East & Africa at AccorHotels; Omer Kaddouri, the President & CEO of Rotana Hotel Management Corporation, and Bassem Terkawi, the CEO of LINK ME Global.
The Iran Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference will take place on February 7-8 at the Parsian Evin Hotel in Tehran. For more information, visit www.iranian-conference.com.
Global event organiser Bench Events has a long track record of delivering multiple premium hotel investment conferences and forums across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Latin America.ÊMarket leading annual conferences include the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) in Dubai, now in its 13th year, the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), the new Asia Hotel and Tourism Investment Conference (AHTIC), The Summit in London, and the Latin American Hotel & Tourism Investment Conferences (SAHIC).Ê
