The Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC) returns to Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai in person from September 20-22, bringing together four active investment communities from across the region.

 

For the first time, AHIC 2021, organised by Bench and MEED, will house the close-knit investment communities of the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC), Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) under one roof.

 

Under the theme Rise Together, investors, owners, private equity firms, financiers, franchise owners, innovators, developers, and government entities will meet to network, share insights and do business, with the potential for partnerships greater than ever.

 

AHIC Founder and Bench Chairman Jonathan Worsley said: “To be able to bring together these four major hospitality investment communities for the first time, at our first live, in person event for this sector in the Middle East and Africa post-pandemic, is truly special. 

 

"We have created a robust buyer and seller platform teeming with opportunity and developed a unique programme inspired by the themes of ‘innovation, sustainability and the future’."

 

The AHIC 2021 programme combines on-stage one-to-one interviews, roundtables, discussions and workshops with innovation pitches, off-stage individual meetings and networking experiences.

 

Many of these sessions will be underpinned by AHIC Intelligence, with industry data, insights and predictions for the region’s pipeline, performance and profitability expected to be key.

 

STR Managing Director Robin Rossmann, who will present some of the key learnings from the past 18 months on day one, said: “The pace and shape of hotel performance recovery continues to vary significantly around the world, dependant on vaccination rates as well as the spread of the Delta strain. 

 

"In the Middle East and Africa, performance has also varied significantly based on some markets’ greater reliance on international travel and corporate demand. The markets able to generate more demand from domestic leisure sources are further ahead in the recovery process.”

 

Meanwhile, Dr. Martin Berlin, partner & global deals real estate leader, PwC, will unveil research on the impact of Covid as a never-before-seen catalyst for innovation.

 

Berlin revealed that the pandemic has caused a loss of $1.3 trillion in tourist receipts.

 

AHIC 2021 will explore how and when the industry can return to the status quo.

 

Day two will follow with insights on ‘how covid-19 has changed the hotel operating model’ from Michael Grove, chief operating officer, HotStats; analysis of UAE and KSA consumer data from Muhammad Ali Syed, chief executive officer, Mingora; and learnings from 22,000 restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi from Alexis Marcoux-Varvatsoulis, Foodservice consulting lead, Middle East and Africa, JLL – one of several sessions set to inspire the GRIF community.

 

Diriyah Gate Development Authority Group CEO Jerry Inzerillo will kick off Saudi Day on day three with a live-on-stage morning talk with Gloria Guevara Manzo, chief special advisor, Ministry of Tourism – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

 

In addition to the focuses on the different investment communities present at this year’s AHIC – those from Saudi Arabia, Africa and the global restaurant sector in addition to the Middle East at large – there will also be numerous plenary sessions that tap into the high level issues impacting hospitality investment across the board.

 

AHIC’s Worsley concludes: “AHIC 2021 has been in the planning for a long time now. Over the course of this year, in all our conversations with our Advisory Board, speakers, sponsors and delegates, one thing has been crystal clear: people are ready to meet, eager to share, and excited to do business.”-TradeArabia News Service