The Middle East’s leading hospitality event, The Hotel Show Dubai, is ready to return from the 16th to the 18th of September at the Dubai World Trade Center.
A real all-round display of the modern hotel industry with a show that aims to educate, celebrate and define both the present and the future of industry throughout the Middle East. At the heart of all this will be a series of interactive features, conferences and discussion seminars that will connect those who are the lifeblood of the hotel and the tourism industry, from housekeepers and sous chefs to property owners and franchisees.
Here are six good reasons why this year's show must be absolutely one of the events not to be missed and to be marked absolutely on the agenda!

1. The Middle East Leadership Conference
Taking place over The Hotel Show Dubai’s three-day duration, the highly-influential talks will welcome a pool of more than 50 speakers, all of whom will be of General Manager position or above, making it the forum for hospitality-based discussion, debate and learning. Last year’s speakers included Issam Kazim, CEO of DTCM, alongside GMs from a plethora of leading hotel brands like Jumeirah Group, Four Seasons, Radisson, Ritz-Carlton, Roda, Oberoi, Waldorf Astoria, Accor and Marriott, as well as key industry influencers like Expedia, JLL, STR Global and Booking.com.

2. The Middle East Housekeepers’ League of Champions

A simple yet thrilling live concept: a pair of typical hotel rooms – complete with bedding, curtains, flooring and entertainment facilities – are set-up back to back… then trashed! Two teams at a time compete head-to-head to put the room back to its original state in just seven minutes, with a knock-out competition whittling the predicted 30 entrants down to one eventual winner over three-days. First hosted at last year’s show, the contest was raved about by every hotel involved – especially its debut winners, the Fairmont Dubai! Can they hold on to their crown?

3. The Middle East Hospitality Awards
Respected industry-wide, the Middle East Hotel Awards rebranded last year to be more reflective of how hotels have evolved in recent years. Now, the new look Middle East Hospitality Awards honour not just the hotels, but the restaurants, bars, spas, sporting facilities, event and nightlife venues that help make this region such a draw for tourists. Considered the central social and networking function of the three-day get-together, the awards - which take place in the glitzy ballroom of the Ritz-Carlton DIFC - recognise 17 categories, and provide a richly-deserved opportunity to celebrate the most outstanding properties, projects and people in the Middle East’s vibrant hospitality industry over the last year.

4. The Chef’s Table
An on-site contest that’ll really turn up the heat on the region’s leading hotel kitchens! The Chef’s Table will pit head chefs and their teams from 12 Middle Eastern hotels against each other in a timed cooking competition, where the ingredients won’t be revealed until the countdown clock starts ticking. Sponsored by Carrefour and judged by four expert chefs, led by Chef Uwe Micheel, President of the Emirates Culinary Guild, each three-hour battle will see three full lunches and three dinner menus cooked-up daily.

5. CIAAD Talks

Curated exclusively for The Hotel Show by the Dubai-based Council for International Accreditation of Architecture & Design (CIAAD), this three-day talk agenda will discuss the many opportunities and challenges that design can bring to a hotel space. What do millennials want from design? How can this be balanced with the needs of traditional travellers? And how can I achieve that through design? Expert panellists, all of whom are members of CIAAD, will answer these questions and a whole many more.

6. Huge number of attendees

Spread across sections dedicated to Interiors, Lighting & Design, Technology & Security, Operating Equipment, Bathroom & Sanitary Ware and HORECA, more than 600 exhibitor stands will fill The Hotel Show Dubai floor – with organisers expecting to welcome in excess of 30,000 visitors. By far the region’s biggest dedicated hotel exhibition, the show offers unrivalled networking and business growth opportunities for anyone at any stage of their career in hospitality.

To find out more: www.thehotelshow.com

INFO/PHOTO COURTESY: The Hotel Show Dubai