Suppliers aim to cash in on hotel industry revival

More than 180 exhibitors from around the world will be chasing lucrative contracts when they meet up with leading hotel owners, developers and operators at The Hotel Show, taking place at Airport Expo Dubai from May 19 - 21.

"The hotel industry here suffered a great deal as a result of the war in Iraq, but the mood since it ended has been one of optimism," said Joanne Evans, director of event management and marketing specialists, Streamline Marketing, organisers of The Hotel Show. "There has been a big pick-up in business travel and tourism, while the events of the last few months have not affected the plans for major new hotel development right across the Middle East. The result is that the hotel industry as a whole has a lot to look forward to, and there's a tremendous amount of business out there for suppliers."

Among the foreign companies which believe The Hotel Show can boost their Middle East market share is Brazilian manufacturer of kitchenware and tableware, Tramontina, a first-time exhibitor in Dubai.

The company has been represented for more than 15 years by Dubai-based Sheikh Mohamed Sharif & Sons and is now considering opening its own office in the region. Middle East sales last year amounted to $3.5 million, representing 7.4% of total exports, while 30% growth is expected for 2003-2004.

Italian hotel contract furniture manufacturers Campus and SASA Export extend their partnership by sharing an exhibition stand. "Potentially, the Middle East market is a very important one for our products because of the amount of investment that is being made in the hotel industry, and we will be launching new prototypes for indoor and outdoor use," said area export manager Claudio Bravo Claudio.

Exhibitors at The Hotel Show will have access to business centre facilities sponsored and supplied by Alpha Data, one of UAE's largest and most diverse information technology companies.

Indonesian designer and manufacturer of lighting, furniture and accessories, deLighting, recently begun winning important hospitality contracts in the Middle East, and sees the region as one of its most important future markets alongside the US and South East Asia.

CEO Carlo Forzinetti said the company initially expected business from the region worth $2 million over the next two years, but believes contacts made at The Hotel Show, and the opening of a Middle East representative office, can raise the stakes.

Joining the international line-up of exhibitors is a newly-established Dubai company which is using the exhibition to introduce the hotel industry to a revolutionary full body massage machine currently providing free treatment to more than 200 UAE nationals and expatriates daily.

Ceragem World Co is the newly appointed distributor for the Korean-invented Ceragem Master, which is designed to relieve stress, improve physical, emotional and mental health and increase the quality of life. The company is using the Ceragem Master at a recently opened 30-bed free massaging centre in Dubai, and its president, Kim Biho, hopes hotels will see the benefits for under pressure business travellers.

Held under the patronage of H.H. General Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, The Hotel Show is owned by dmg World Media, a subsidiary of FTSE100 company The Daily Mail & General Trust plc. For a second year it is being staged in conjunction with another dmg World Media event, The Office Exhibition, the two events being run simultaneously in adjacent exhibition halls. Fully supported by the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, The Hotel Show also has the support of the UK's Department of Trade and Industry.