Reed Exhibitions launches Equip' Hotel Middle East

Equip' Hotel Middle East will be held in Abu Dhabi December 14-16, 2008.

The show at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre will support the rapidly expanding hospitality sector in the GCC region. Equip' Hotel Paris is well-established and is considered the leading international hospitality show primarily targeting the European market.

Frederic Theux, President of Reed Exhibitions Middle East, announced the launch of the Equip' Hotel Middle East edition at a press conference in Abu Dhabi. Representatives of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), the Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC), senior managers from the hospitality industry and media representatives from across the GCC attended the launch press conference.

"We are pleased to bring Equip' Hotel, Reed's internationally known hospitality event, to the Middle East. The region represents one of the most dynamic markets for the hospitality sector and we believe that the exhibition will act as an excellent platform to showcase the latest developments from the hotel, restaurant, catering and a wide range of related sub-sectors," Theux said.

Exhibitors at the event will include companies displaying Building Layout & Fitting products, Tableware, Laundry, Cafeteria & Bar equipment, Hotel & Restaurant concepts, Vending, Kitchen Equipment, Linen & Professional wear, Furniture & Design, Guest Amenities, Spas, Bathroom & Wellness and Sound & Lighting Technologies.

Visitors at the show will include buyers from international hotel groups, officials managing hotel apartments and tourist facilities, restaurant and catering operators, chefs, distributors, importers, wholesalers, educational institutions, government authorities, investors, promoters, developers, design and planning consultants, architects and interior decorators.

Theux said Equip' Hotel Middle East will fill a vital gap in the rapidly expanding hospitality industry in the region. Noting that in the UAE, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Bahrain alone, 174 new hotels are expected to add 48,940 rooms over the next three years, Theux said the industry has felt the need for an integrated platform for quite some time. "Equip' Hotel Middle East will fill that gap as it is an integrated, all-encompassing show that showcases the entire spectrum of products, services and technologies needed by the hospitality industry in the region.

Quoting a market survey commissioned by Reed, Theux said a large proportion of the new 174 new hotels to be operational by 2010 will be 5-star.

"International, regional and local operators see huge potential in the sector. But the billions being poured into the sector has also made it a very competitive space to be in. Operators are aware that with such strong competition they need to be up-to-date with the latest developments in the industry. Equip' Hotel Middle East will provide that opportunity," he added.

In the UAE alone, 97 new hotels are likely to be added by 2010, Reed's market survey shows. The new hotels will have a combined capacity of more than 30,600 rooms. In the same period, Qatar is expected to add 39 new hotels and 9,835 rooms; Kuwait, 19 hotels and 4,115 new rooms; Bahrain, 15 hotels and 3,615 rooms and Oman, 4 hotels and 766 rooms. Currently the total hotel room capacity in the above countries stands at 33,925.

Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital is planning to increase hotel room capacity to 25,000 by 2015 and develop over 100 hotels in the next ten years. The emirate is investing over Dhs367bn in the next 5 years in a combination of projects that include upgrading the UAE capital's airport, building a new seaport, establishing new townships and tourism development. "The ADTA is implementing an aggressive tourism development strategy including the establishment of world class tourist attractions such as the Louvre and Guggenheim museums on Saadiyat Island and the hosting of a Formula 1 Grand Prix on Yas Island in 2009," said Theux.

According to the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM), the number of hotels and hotel apartments in Dubai is set to rise to 554 by 2016 from 439 currently, with the existing room capacity of hotels and hotel apartments expected to nearly triple with the new additions.

Valerie Lobry, Exhibitions Director of Equip' Hotel Paris, said that Equip' Hotel Middle East is expected to feature more than 150 exhibitors displaying a wide array of products, services, technologies and concepts used by the hospitality industry. She also said that a structured visitor promotion program for Equip Hotel will attract more than 3,000 key buyers from the hotel industry in the GCC countries.

"We believe Equip' Hotel will be an excellent new addition to the expanding portfolio of exhibitions hosted at ADNEC. We are pleased to recognise that Reed Exhibitions, one of ADNEC's Foundation Partners, continues to roll out impressive new exhibitions and conferences that are absolutely relevant to Abu Dhabi, the UAE and the Middle East. ADNEC looks forward to contributing to the success of these shows and will continue to provide the highest levels of professional support to make Equip' Hotel Middle East a huge success," said Paul Vincent, Marketing Director for ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company).