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HITEC 2010

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Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC) 2010 to examine
the future of the regional hotel market


From macro-economic factors through to financing your projects

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AHIC 2010
United Arab Emirates, 25 April 2010 – The key sessions at AHIC 2010 will be offering insight into every facet of the hotel investment market, starting at the macro-economic factors driving demand in the region, assessing new hotel development projects by location and market conditions and providing advice on how to finance and manage projects.
 
Nenad Pacek, President of Global Success Advisors Ltd and co-founder of CEEMEA Business Group, commented:

“There can be no doubt that the global economic crisis affected every market out there, in both the developed and emerging markets, but as the crisis bottoms out and the recovery gathers pace the emerging Asia countries and the MENA region offer the best opportunities for growth."

 
“It was these regions that proved themselves most resilient during the downturn and, thanks largely to recovering commodity prices, the MENA region will grow over 4 % in 2010 and 2011. Part of the forward economic strategy for the vast majority of countries in the region is a diversification away from dependence on oil and gas revenues, and with a total accumulation of $1.6 trillion in various reserves, the outlook is positive for broad investment in the hotel and tourism sectors.”

  • AHIC 2010 to start proceedings with macro-economic keynote, offering insight into the MENA region’s economic outlook, by Nenad Pacek, President of Global Success Advisors Ltd and co-founder of CEEMEA Business Group
  • Inaugural ‘How To Finance your Project’ panel session to take place, featuring speakers from Jones Lang LaSalle MENA, H Partners Investment Fund, RBS Global Banking and Markets and Standard Chartered Bank and The Rezidor Hotel Group*
  • Conference being held from 1 – 3 May 2010 at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates; full programme can be found at www.arabianconference.com/programme 
 
The regional landscape is unique, and through key session such as ‘Successfully tapping into the regional Arab travel market’, looking at gaps in the market for new supply and the size of potential markets, and ‘Attracting the attention of today’s hotel investor’, to help increase understanding of the objectives of MENA’s investors, the aim of AHIC is to provide a forum to ensure continued investment in the region.
 
HE Sheikh Mubarak Abdullah Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Chairman of Action Hotels, who will be speaking on the panel discussing ‘Successfully tapping into the regional Arab travel market’, observed:

“The Middle East market, while common in some characteristics, is diverse and each country has its own strategies and priorities for investment and travel. In general, it’s not my view that markets in the region are saturated, but instead it is more about growth and market movement.

 
“Each country and each market is very different, depending on the maturity of the economy and business drivers. Overall, there has been a shift in focus driven by governments to diversify the local economies and this has changed the marketplace for hotels from a 5-star dominated demand – and an investor-focus on trophy assets - to a wider market, creating scope for a much broader range of investment opportunities.”
 
One of the several new initiatives AHIC 2010 is offering this year is the ‘How to finance your project’ panel, reflecting the changing economic climate for securing funding.
 
Gaurav Shivpuri, Director - Capital Markets of Jones Lang LaSalle MENA, who will be featuring as part of the ‘How to finance your project’ panel, commented:

“Regional Investors and Financiers today are much more prudent when it comes to investing in real estate and scrutinize every little detail of a project prior to financing or investing in it. I would recommend that developers/investors seek advice from experts, as well as carefully consider location and market characteristics when undertaking new projects. Moreover, putting together a experienced development & management team is also important to allay delivery and cost overrun fears that investors and financiers have today. AHIC offers a great platform for investors to listen to industry insiders and learn the best strategy for ensuring support from the banking community when considering a new hotel development.”

For more information please contact:
Alisdair Haythornthwaite            +971 56 690 1725 / [email protected]
Rosemary Youssef                     +971 50 354 8805 / [email protected]


Platinum sponsors: Ministry of Tourism Brazil, The Rezidor Hotel Group and Wyndham Worldwide. 
 
Emerald sponsors: The Address Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Worldwide, IHG, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, Jumeirah Group, Moroccan Tourism Development Agency (SMIT)
 
Gold sponsors: Accor Hospitality, Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas, , Bell Pottinger, Corinthia Hotels, Expedia, Golden Tulip Hotels & Resorts, Hamilton Hotel Partners, Hodema Consulting Services, Horwath HTL, Kempinski Hotels & Shaza Hotels, Langham Hotels International, Molinaro Koger, Orient-Express, Rotana, Schletterer Wellness and SPA design, Siemens, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, TRI Hospitality Consulting, Viceroy Hotel Group, WATG.
 
The focus for the the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference 2010, taking place from 1 – 3 May 2010, this year is ‘Unlocking Investment Opportunities in the Middle East and North Africa’, and the event brings together over 500 of the top hotel investment industry professionals through an interactive programme that includes panels, breakfast briefings and breakout sessions.
 
The debates will be led by a selection of industry leaders, including:
  • HE Sheikh Mubarak Abdulla Al Mubarak Al Sabah, Chairman of Action Hotels
  • HE Saif Mohammed Al Hajeri, Chairman of Abu Dhabi National Hotels
  • HE Dr. Rajiha Abdul Ameer Ali, Minister of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman
  • Peter Baumgartner, Chief Commercial Officer of Etihad Airways
  • Gerald Lawless, Executive Chairman of Jumeirah Group
  • Kurt Ritter, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Rezidor Hotel Group
  • Mark Wynne-Smith, CEO EMEA of Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels
  • Sarmad Zok, Chief Executive Officer of Kingdom Hotel Investments
The AHIC 2010 Leadership Award will also be presented to Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and Chairman of TDIC.

About Bench Events
Bench Events has a long track record of hosting the premier hotel investment events in the world.  Bench Events’ Chairman, Jonathan Worsley, is one of the organisers and founders of the highly successful International Hotel Investment Forum now in its thirteenth year (www.berlinconference.com).  In 2005, he was responsible for launching the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai and in 2008 launched the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference which was a sell out success (www.russia-cisconference.com). Bench Event’s sister company, JW Bench, is a benchmarking company that has successfully launched the Conference Bench and the Productivity Bench. An industry first, the Conference Bench, measures performance data for conference and banqueting space in hotels in Stockholm, Oslo, London, Brussels with other capital cities contributing shortly. www.benchevents.com

About MEED
For 50 years business leaders have been relying on MEED (Middle East Economic Digest) to give them a wealth of factual, unbiased business information that they need to be successful. The MEED brand represents an unrivalled portfolio of high calibre business information products, online services and premier networking events.

MEED Conferences is part of the leading information brand in the Middle East working to provide delegates with the very latest business sensitive information. Over the past 12 years, MEED Conferences has organised events attended by senior government officials and thousands of international business people. The conference series is aimed at companies actively seeking business in the markets of the Middle East. MEED is well established as the source of strategic and accurate regional information placing it in a unique position to bring together high-calibre speakers. www.meed.com


 
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For more information please contact:

Alisdair Haythornthwaite
+971 56 690 1725
[email protected]

Rosemary Youssef
+971 50 354 8805
[email protected]

www.arabianconference.com/programme

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