Some of the worldÕs leading hospitality experts have agreed to appear at the inaugural The Hotel Show Africa – one of the three events co-located with the Retail and Hospitality Week 2017, which is co-located with AfricaÕs Big 7, which is slated to take place at the Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, between June 25-27, 2017 – as a part of its international three-day conference.
The Hotel Show Africa, organised by dmg events MEA, will bring together leading hospitality suppliers from around the world alongside the three-day Vision Conference, focused this year on developing sub-Saharan AfricaÕs hotel industry. The latterÕs Chairman, Martin Kubler, has over two decades of international experience running four- and five-star hotels across Europe and the Middle East.
ÒAfrica presents amazing opportunities, but also its own unique challenges,Ó said Mr Kubler. ÒThe Vision Conference at The Hotel Show in Dubai attracts hundreds of delegates, and I believe we will present, over the three days in June, a powerful insight into future growth for the African market.Ó Ê
The first day starts with a presentation on the outlook for AfricaÕs hospitality and tourism market by Gillian Saunders, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Grant Thornton, Johannesburg, and Head, Advisory services in South Africa. She has 25 yearsÕ experience as a consultant to the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries.
The Hotel Show Africa 2017 is adapted for the continent and based on The Hotel Show in Dubai. The emirate has seen growth in hotel rooms over the past 15 years, unequalled anywhere else in the world, and the will provide some guest speakers for The Vision Conference in South Africa.
Bani Haddad, founder and Managing Director, Aleph Hospitality, Dubai, will host a key session examining how Africa can fund its hotels. Third-party investment and franchising are already responsible for over 260,000 hotel rooms in the United States, but are still to be exploited in Africa.
He will be joined by Scott Antel, hospitality and leisure partner, Berwin Leighton Paisner, who has over 20 yearsÕ experience advising both owners-developers and international operators across the Middle East, Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Baltics and Asia. He was awarded the Russia/CIS Hotel Investment ForumÕs 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to emerging markets.
ÒThe Hotel Show Africa brings a new focus to the hospitality industry,Ó said Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, Chief Executive Officer, Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), a strategic partner for the show.
The hospitality sector is a key growth target for governments across sub-Saharan Africa, and the continent has almost 30,000 new rooms under construction at 159 hotels this year.
Top national and international suppliers have signed up to showcase hospitality products for restaurants, cafes, bars, hotels and food and beverage service outlets.
ÒWe are very excited to bring a globally-recognised brand to the African hospitality market and have been working closely with the industry to ensure the show meets the needs of all hospitality professionals,Ó said Christine Davidson, Vice President, dmg events.
