The Hotel Show opens today with 100 per cent occupancy

The industry showcase, organised by dmg world media dubai Ltd one of the region's leading exhibition companies, had to increase the amount of exhibition space to 14,350 square metres, to accommodate surging demand from international and regional exhibitors.

Maggie Moore, Exhibition Director, The Hotel Show, commented, "This year's show has broken all previous records, with the growth in the size and number of country pavilions, indicative of escalating demand. Egypt, Thailand, Philippines, Cyprus, Greece, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, USA, Malta and the UK are all participating this year. In total we have sold a total of 14,350 square metres, spread over eight halls, which is a 36 per cent increase year-on-year and clearly reflects the positive sentiment of the regional hospitality industry."

Visitor numbers are also expected to top the 11, 400 recorded last year, which in itself was a 40 per cent increase over 2005. This year it is anticipated that an estimated 50 per cent of visitors will be international and regional visitors, a clear indication of the mounting overseas interest in the event.

The enhanced quality of visitors is also a trend set to continue, last year, Managing Directors and General Managers accounted for over a third of the total visitors, giving exhibitors access to key decision makers, boosting their on-site orders and providing quality sales leads.

On show will be a wide variety of products and services, including furniture and furnishings, bathroom supplies, tableware, entertainment, fitness and leisure, security, cleaning and laundry, signage, reservations, accounting and training.

Running concurrently with the exhibition for the second successive year is the 'Seven Star Conference' which will address key industry issues. In particular, a series of presentations will examine the Middle East's human resource challenge. The region's hospitality industry will generate over 1.5 million jobs over the next ten years, but Middle East hoteliers will face extreme competition for skilled labour from emerging economies with equal opportunities and a much lower cost of living. Judith Chalk, Editor, Human Assets, Middle East, will unveil the critical HR strategies necessary to recruit & retain personnel in the fiercely competitive hospitality sector.

Also addressing human resources related issues at The Seven Star Conference are John Mowatt, Head of Department, The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management who will speak about 'Emiratisation in the Hospitality Industry'; Leslie Grogan of PSL London who will present, 'Manage your Team Like A Sales Team' and 'Awaken the Entrepreneurial Spirit of your Front of House Team'. The extended conference programme also includes cultural awareness seminars to assist exhibitors from outside the region, or indeed new to the area, to understand better the way that business is conducted in the Middle East and the growing popularity of spas and how to measure their return on investment.

Last year's star attraction Karim Rashid, the international award-winning contemporary high design minimalist will be evident once again this year. However, this time rather than as a guest speaker, Rashid will be presenting his "Room of the Future" design which will be incorporated into a special display, arranged by Depa United in the DIEC concourse.