Sheikh Ahmed opens Hotel Show in Dubai

Sheikh Ahmed was accompanied by Bernard Walsh, Managing Director of dmg Index Exhibitions Ltd, owners of The Hotel Show, Joanne Evans and Laith Kubba, directors of Streamline Marketing, organisers of the event, as he cut the ribbon to officially inaugurate the three-day exhibition taking place at Airport Expo Dubai.

He then set off on a tour of the exhibition hall where 199 exhibitors from 24 countries are displaying a huge range of products and services vital to the day-to-day running of any hotel.

The Hotel Show's international exhibitor line-up includes manufacturers of air conditioning, audio visual, video conferencing and sound systems, bathroom supplies and bed linen, building materials, cutlery and crockery, carpeting and curtains.

Also taking part are leading producers of computer hardware and software, fitness, spa and pool equipment, buses, vans and limousines, landscaping services, management and reservations systems, telecommunications systems, uniforms, and other products and services vital to a hotel's day-to-day operations.

Many of the products on display are being given their Middle East debut. UAE-based Key Information Technology, for instance, is showing MICROS-Fidelio Financials, described as the definitive financial management system for major hotels, restaurants and other hospitality organisations.

Another UAE company, Bond Communications, is introducing a range of new products and services in areas including guest entertainment, F& B solutions, multimedia, sales and marketing solutions, and security and document management and archiving systems.

Visitors to the exhibition this week will include leading hotel owners, developers and operators behind the dozens of new hotel properties under development in the Middle East, and the scores of existing properties needing refurbishment, or a replenishment of existing supplies.

The Hotel Show, in its fourth year, is 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.

Running alongside the event for a second year is The Office Exhibition, giving office suppliers a valuable introduction to the rapidly expanding Middle East office development sector.

Joanne Evans, Director of Streamline Marketing, said: "With so many new hotel properties under development across the Middle East, there is tremendous additional business potential for the exhibitors who have travelled here this week from across the region, and around the world.

"We have a huge range of products and services assembled under one roof, and the hotel owners and major hotel operators greatly appreciate the chance to view some of the latest developments for the hospitality business, particularly in the IT field."

Exhibitors at The Hotel Show have access to business centre facilities sponsored and supplied by Alpha Data, one of the UAE's largest and most diverse information technology companies, which also has its own stand at the exhibition.

Highlighting the new business potential for hotel suppliers in the Middle East, a recent survey showed that 120 new hotels are set to open in Dubai in the next 15 years, while many more new hotels are under development in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Syria, Qatar, Tunisia, Yemen and Libya.