Over 18,000 professionals from the hospitality and leisure industry convened at The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show to showcase and explore the latest that the industry had to offer.
Opened on Monday morning at the Dubai World Trade Centre by Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, chairman and CEO of Emirates airline and Group and chairman of Dubai World, the event will highlight thousands of global brands, providing everything needed to build, operate and maintain hotels and leisure facilities in the region.
Christine Davidson, group event director of the dmg events hospitality portfolio, including The Hotel Show and The Leisure Show, said: "There is much anticipation and excitement around the future of hospitality, leisure and tourism in the Middle East and Africa. There is evidence of unprecedented growth in the region, with a total 872 projects and 243,466 rooms in the pipeline as of September 2015."
Issam Kazim, chief executive officer (CEO) of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, said in his keynote speech that the hotel sector is the backbone of Dubai's tourism industry.
"Hotels and hospitality have a great part to play in realising Dubai's Tourism Vision for 2020, which aims to welcome 20 million visitors per year by the start of the next decade. Dubai welcomed 13.2 million international overnight visitors in 2014. While much progress has already been made, there is still much to achieve," he said.
DND Contemporary Furniture Studio, which is participating for the first time at The Hotel Show, was eager to showcase its bespoke furniture concepts that illustrate modern art and contemporary design using high quality material, with an emphasis on wood and raw metal. The furniture studio offers a modern take on contemporary furnishing.
Hamdi Ben Yaghlane, designer and managing partner of DND Contemporary Furniture Studio, said that as demand for hotel rooms increases, hotels are now competing for business, with customers seeking diversity in hotel offerings. To attract new customers, it is becoming increasingly important for hotels to implement new and contemporary designs, which are not only elegant and beautiful but also comfortable and functional.
"Since our official opening in the UAE in March 2015, we have experienced an increased demand for our furniture. We are extremely pleased to be able to expand in this market and be part of The Hotel Show," he said.
A recent study by financial services firm PwC highlighted that the UAE's leisure and entertainment market has the potential to attract 45 million visitors by 2021, thus increasing the demand for hotel rooms in the emirate.
It is this demand that will provide a multitude of business opportunities for various companies in the region, said Sreekumar Panicker, head of UAE sales of Karcher ME.
Karcher, a supplier of cleaning technology to the private, commercial and industrial sectors, is displaying its steam-generating vacuum cleaner, the SGV 8/5, which can be utilised for cleaning areas such as kitchens, and the spray-extraction cleaner Puzzi 30/4 for use on carpets and upholstery, at the show.
"There's no doubting the size and scale of this event. Our presence here is imperative to our growth in this sector in the Mena and other regions," said Panicker.
One of the key points that Karcher is highlighting at the event is the eco-efficiency of its products. "Our machines are user-friendly and use less power, but don't compromise on performance. Our machines don't use harmful chemicals and can sanitise areas without contaminating any food or leaving harmful residues and unpleasant odours, especially in common areas."
Congratulation!