|
|
.
Hospitality Association; New Membership Structure, Business Plan and Board of Directors to Lead IH&RA in 2003 |
Paris,
France November 25, 2002...Around 100 international hospitality executives
from 30 countries representing North America, Latin and Central America,
the Middle East, Western and Eastern Europe and the Asia Pacific attended
the International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) 39th Annual
Congress held in New York City, 8-11 November, 2002. This Congress
served as the platform to announce major changes to the membership structure
of the 55-year old association, and to unveil the 2003 Business Plan and
new Board of Directors.
Following the IH&RA Annual General Assembly held during the Congress, IH&RA members unanimously voted that the Association should focus on two core membership categories: national hotel and restaurant associations (�NACE�) and international and national hotel and restaurant Chains. IH&RA currently counts approximately 30 national and international chain members representing over 40 brands, and 80 national associations representing over 100 countries. A �Chains Council� of CEOs from international and national hotel and restaurant chains met for the first time at the IH&RA Congress to discuss strategy and set policy for the Association�s monitoring and lobbying activities on behalf of the Chains. NACE members also met and agreed to form regional satellites to comprise hospitality Associations in North America, Latin/Central America, Europe, Middle East/Africa and Asia Pacific in order to facilitate communication between NACE members and IH&RA. Regional NACE meetings will be held at least once a year to review IH&RA lobbying activities, as well as prioritise topics of regional and global concern to the industry. Like the Chains Council, the �NACE Council� will make recommendations to the IH&RA from the Association point of view. Working at the international level, IH&RA focuses its activities on monitoring and lobbying the UN and its agencies and the other inter-governmental organisations whose work directly or indirectly impacts the hospitality and wider tourism industry. IH&RA is formally recognised as an accredited Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) by ECOSOC and has close and long-standing ties with a number of agencies, specifically the WTO (World Tourism Organisation), UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), ILO (International Labour Organisation) and UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, & Cultural Organisation). IH&RA�s views and participation are regularly sought by these agencies which only invite representation from recognised institutional partners. Some of the critical issues being monitored and lobbied by IH&RA are:
President re-elect: Eric E. Pfeffer, President Pfeffer Group
and International Hospitality Consultant, La Quinta Inns & Suites and
Cendant Corporation
IH&RA CEO: Alain-Philippe Feutré Chairman of Chains Council: to be appointed by Chains Council National Hospitality Association Representatives to the Board: Grant Bowie, Australian Hotel Association: Sr. Vice President - Australia
& General Manager, Conrad Jupiters
Appointed by the Board - National Association representing the Restaurant
Sector:
Appointed by the Board - Worldwide Partner Representative:
Chains Representatives to the Board: Stan Bruns, Senior Vice President International Lodging, Marriott International
Appointed by the Board - Independent Operators Representative:
The 2002 IH&RA Congress, sponsored by American Express Establishment Services and Horwath Consulting, was held alongside another major industry event, the 87th Annual International Hotel/Motel & Restaurant Show (IH/M&RS), jointly produced by IH&RA members, the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the New York State Tourism & Hospitality Association and the Hotel Association of New York City. The concurrent positioning of these two events resulted in a synergistic forum where IH&RA Congress delegates could network with some 50,000 industry operators and suppliers present at the IH/M&RS tradeshow. Congress delegates also participated in the IH&RA-sponsored �International Day� and a full Educational Program of more than 40 seminars. IH&RA�s 40th Annual Congress will be held in Cairo, Egypt in the autumn of 2003. Originally, the 39th Annual Congress had been scheduled to take place in Cairo in 2001, but was postponed following the tragic events of September 11. IH&RA moved the location of this Congress to New York City in 2002 in a show of industry support and solidarity to the city of New York and to IH&RA members in the United States. The International Hotel & Restaurant Association (IH&RA) is a network of international and national hotel and restaurant chains and national hotel and restaurant associations in more than 100 countries. Its mission is to protect, promote and inform the hospitality industry worldwide. Through its membership network, IH&RA represents an industry of 300,000 hotels and 8 million restaurants which employ 60 million people and contribute 950 billion USD annually to the global economy. |
Contact:
Summer Jauneaud Tel: (33 1) 44 89 94 00 E-mail: [email protected] http://www.ih-ra.com |