Arabian Hospitality
Investment Conference
Part of FHS
25-27 September | Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island
Part of FHS
25-27 September | Hilton Abu Dhabi Yas Island
07:30 – 11:00
Compete like a champion! JA The Resort Golf Course, designed by the famous Peter Harradine, is a champion-standard 9-hole PAR 35 golf course spread over 50 acres and set within the grounds of JA The Resort. Each hole is uniquely landscaped with exotic trees, shrubs and original desert flora. The course has established itself as one of the most prestigious spots for golf in Dubai playing host to legends including Tiger Woods, Ernie Els and Greg Norman.
The winner will be allocated a Vertuo Deluxe machine courtesy of Nespresso live on stage at AHIC on the 22nd of September.
09:00 – 09:25
ROOM: AHIC Stage
Henry Azzam, Ph.D
Senior Lecturer of Finance & Director of the Masters in Finance Program, Olayan School of Business (OSB), American University of Beirut
09:40 – 09:50
ROOM: AHIC Stage
Anita Mendiratta
Special Advisor to the Secretary General, UNWTO
In conversation with:
Haitham Mattar
Managing Director, India, Middle East & Africa, IHG
09:50 – 10:00
ROOM: Main Stage
Anita Mendiratta
Special Advisor to the Secretary General, UNWTO
Jerry Inzerillo
Chief Executive Officer, Diriyah Gate Development Authority
09:25 – 09:40
ROOM: AHIC Stage
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman & CEO, Bench
In conversation with:
Mahmoud Abdulhadi
Deputy Minister, Investment Attraction, Ministry of Tourism of Saudi Arabia
09:30 – 10:15
ROOM: AHIC Studio
Will health and leisure hotels be more in focus for future investments? How about apart hotels as longer stay seems to be new corporate culture. (And what about luxury products – what are guests expecting from luxury hotels in different markets?)
James Wrenn
Associate Director | Hotels | MENA Region, Colliers
In conversation with:
Mossadeck Bally
Founder, Azalaï Hotels Group
Reda Faceh
VP Development Northern & Western Africa, Accor
Amit Pravin Patel
Director, Coral Beach Club Limited
Alain Sebah
President, Golden Tulip Africa
10:00 – 10:30
ROOM: AHIC Stage
More important than ever is the ability to tap into the local market through Wellness, F&B and Beach Clubs. When does it work to do it yourself and when does it make sense to bring in an outside party?
Christopher Lund
Director, Head of Hotels, MENA Region, Colliers
In conversation with:
Anil Bhardwaj
Director, A.A. Al Moosa Enterprises LLC
Marloes Knippenberg
Chief Executive Officer, Kerten Hospitality
Naim Maadad
Board Member, Dubai Restaurant Group, Chief Executive & Founder, Gates Hospitality
Kathryn Moore
Founder & Managing Director, Spa Connectors & Hall of Wellness Awards
10:00 – 10:30
ROOM: AHIC Chat
Damien Rizzi
Head of Hospitality & Asset Management, Voltere by Egis
In conversation with:
Anne-Marie Hannan
Vice President of Human Resources Middle East and Africa, Marriott International
Joseph Abou Yaghi
Corporate Vice President Human Resources, Rotana
10:15 – 11:00
ROOM: AHIC Studio
Digitalization, mobile technologies and touchless app’s, how are they changing the way hotels operate? How does new hotel tech improve service delivery and customer satisfaction? What are the 10 most signification technologies in hotel development today? Local tech vs chain approved technology what are the pro’s and con’s?
Olivier Hennion
Managing Director, IT Hospitality
In conversation with:
Arild Aastad
Strategic Partnerships, Virdee
Farhan Charaniya
Director, CHIC SARL
Roger Tabbal
Executive Director IT Middle East, Africa, India & Turkey - Customer Technology Services, Accor
10:30 – 11:00
10:45 – 11:30
ROOM: AHIC Chat
The session will discuss start-ups and how to make them omnipresent and drive change within the industry. We share and discuss how larger organisations can also benefit from this movement to recalibrate the industry and finally how to imbue values and a conscience at a granular level into every decision that is made.
David Keen
Co-Founder, KUBE Ventures
Paul Keen
Brand Architect, KUBE Ventures
Michael Levie
Co-Founder, KUBE Ventures & CitizenM
Simon Levie
Brand Architect, KUBE Ventures
Henri Roelings
Founder & CEO, Hospitality Net
11:00 – 11:30
ROOM: AHIC Stage
Anita Mendiratta
Special Advisor to the Secretary General, UNWTO
In conversation with:
Amr AlMadani
Chief Executive Officer, Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU)
Oliver Ripley
Chief Executive Officer & Co-Founder, Habitas
Mark Willis
Chief Executive Officer, India, Middle East, Africa & Turkey, Accor
11:15 – 11:45
ROOM: AHIC Studio
When does it make sense? How do you mitigate the costs to maximise ROI?
Scott Antel
Partner/Owner, Scotts FZ LLE
Youssef Chraibi
Managing Director, MAGESPRO Africa
Alban Mabille
Director, Development, North Africa, Radisson Hotel Group
Trevor Ward
Managing Director, W Hospitality Group
11:30 – 12:30
An open conversation with
designers and stakeholders to shape the next generation of resorts while
exploring the progress of new models.
Tim Peck
Chairman, OBMI
11:30 – 11:50
ROOM: AHIC Stage
Nicolas Mayer
Industry Leader Hospitality and Tourism EMEA; Managing Partner Global Center of Excellence Tourism & Hospitality, PwC
Andrew McEvoy
Head of the Tourism Sector, NEOM
11:50 – 12:00
ROOM: AHIC Stage
How the travel, tourism and hospitality sector can adopt gender diversity as part of their development agenda and demonstrate the politics of the possible.
Aradhana Khowala
Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Aptamind Partners
12:00 – 12:20
ROOM: AHIC Stage
One of the key issues the industry is facing globally is staffing. How can owners, operators and the broader industry work to create a culture that attracts a vibrant and diverse workforce?
Aradhana Khowala
Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Aptamind Partners
In conversation with:
Simon Vincent
President EMEA & Executive Vice President, Hilton
12:30