New owners and new exhibitors worldwide set to take The Hotel Show to new level

Companies from Spain, Italy and Germany are seeing the annual event as an important platform for exposure to the vibrant Middle East and international hotel sectors, according to Joanne Evans, director of the organisers, Streamline Marketing in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

Its importance to the industry is highlighted by the fact that the region is expected to fully recover from the effects of September 11, and enjoy major growth in business and leisure tourism in the next two decades. Billions of dollars are being invested into hotel leisure resort construction and expansions by, for example, Six Continents Resorts which already operates 119 hotels in the Middle East and Africa, with a further 18 being developed. Local governments are also investing heavily in tourism. The Hotel Show gives hotel owners and developers the chance to source an incredible range of products and services under one roof.

The Hotel Show 2001, held in April last year, attracted 115 exhibitors representing more than 200 companies from 13 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, the GCC, North America and South Africa. The event recorded more than 3,500 visitors from the international and Middle East hotel industries.

Already half of available exhibiting space for The Hotel Show 2002, between May 20-22, has been booked - 50% of this by new international and Middle East exhibitors.

The show has recognised foreign governments as a valuable trading opportunity. Britain, the United States and Northern Ireland are officially endorsing it by direct government participation or with subsidies for exhibitors from their countries.

Four new national pavilions, representing Thailand, Lebanon, Taiwan and the Philippines, have been confirmed, says Joanne Evans, a director of the organisers, Streamline Marketing, in Dubai.

The US, Germany, South Africa, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Australia and Hong Kong have once again taken pavilions, with the largest group of exhibitors being the Madini Hotel Works from Northern Ireland.

"Tourism worldwide is experiencing a tough period, but the realisation is that travel for business and leisure will continue. The Hotel Show brings to the world an established exhibition to both view and exhibit what is on offer from suppliers. What is more it is in a safe environment within a region where tourism development and exhibitions are viewed as of prime importance by all governments," explained Evans. Dubai recently hosted a variety of major events, including the Dubai International Airshow, the Middle East International Motor Show, the IT showcase, GITEX, and the Dubai Rugby Sevens.

For exhibitors, The Hotel Show brings together international hotel owners and operators, general managers, purchasing managers, and other decision makers. The Show's international exhibitor line-up will include manufacturers in air conditioning, audio visual, video conferencing and sound systems, bathroom supplies and bed linen, building materials, cutlery and crockery, carpeting and curtains. Also on show will be 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 dozens of other products and services vital to a hotel's day-to-day running.

The 2002 Hotel Show has also been strongly enhanced by its purchase by dmg World Media, a subsidiary of FTSE100 company The Daily Mail & General Trust plc. It has benefited significantly from the marketing potential internationally which resulted from the buyout.

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