International hotel suppliers descend on Dubai as Middle East hotel industry continues to grow

Organised by event management and marketing specialists, Streamline Marketing the event is a vital showcase of the latest products and services for the hospitality industry.

Visitors to the exhibition will include leading hotel owners, developers and operators who bring with them extensive shopping lists for the dozens of new hotel properties under development and the scores of existing properties needing refurbishment or a replenishment of existing supplies.

"While last year we saw many hotel renovation projects scaled down, hoteliers are now compensating for this with bigger investments," said Joanne Evans, Director, Streamline Marketing, at a press conference yesterday.

"This steady recovery and Dubai's ever increasing reputation as a world-class exhibition venue, helped us grow tremendously this year with exhibition space sales reaching a 50 per cent increase on last year."

Also present at the press conference was Bernard Walsh, managing director of dmg World Media, owners of The Hotel Show and of The Office Exhibition. And also present was Khalid Saeed A. bin Touq, Manager, Licensing and Classification, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing. The two events will run simultaneously in adjacent exhibition halls.

The Hotel Show is held under the patronage of H.H.General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defense and Chairman of the Government of Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, which uses its international network of offices to promote the event. The exhibition is also supported by the UK, German, Spanish, French and Portuguese governments, in addition to a group organised by the US Department of Commerce.

Exhibitors this year come from a record 33 countries. Some countries will be represented at the event for the first time, including Malta with restaurant interior design company, Café Bar Malta making a debut at the show.

Also attending for the first time will be Croatian manufacturer of ceramics and porcelain ware, Inker Ceramics & Porcelain Industry and Palestine furniture manufacturer, Palestine Furniture.

Germany-based manufacturer of cooking appliances for commercial kitchens, Rational AG will use the event to launch in the region its SelfCooking Center©, a completely new kind of kitchen equipment based on the world-leading Rational CPC technology and designed to save chefs time and effort. With a 49 per cent world market share, the company recently opened its regional office in Dubai and hopes to see its products become a common sight in hotels and restaurants in the region. Currently, the company's prestigious regional portfolio includes names such as the Burj Al Arab, the One&Only Royal Mirage Hotel and The Fairmont Hotel in Dubai.

The official opening of the event will take place tomorrow at 11am at Airport Expo Dubai. Attendance is free for trade visitors.

The Hotel Show's international exhibitor line-up includes 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 taking part in the hotel supplies showcase 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 dozens of other products and services vital to a hotel's day-to-day operations.