The upcoming Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) in Saudi Arabia will gather more than government leaders, hotel investors, owners, developers and operators to discuss and network under the theme ‘Reimagined Horizons’.
The event takes place on May 24 and 25 at the Riyadh Airport Marriott Hotel.
Co-organisers The Bench and MEED, along with Saudi-based organiser Semark, have designed the programme around the key themes of the future of hotel development, destination impact, aviation, sustainability, restaurant investment and human capital.
“We’re thrilled to bring three investment communities under one roof at FHS Saudi Arabia this year; Saudi Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF) and AVIADEV, which are all represented in our action-packed programme in Riyadh later this month,” said Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench.
“Our focus will be on the future of our industry and delegates will have over 40 opportunities to deliberate, learn and network over two exciting days. With a range of different formats from main stage presentations, workshops and panel discussions to interviews, break-out sessions and networking opportunities, we look forward to facilitating ground-breaking conversations on what’s next for the hospitality industry,” he added.
Hosted by Dur Hospitality, FHS Saudi Arabia will kick off with a Moroccan-themed opening reception showcasing the group’s unique hospitality concepts.
Dur’s CEO Sultan bin Badr Al Otaibi stated: “It’s a great pleasure to host such a grand event debuting the new era of hospitality and redefining the future of this vibrant industry while creating numerous opportunities to drive collaboration and joint leadership action from across the global hospitality sector.”
The GRIF community will be the first to take the stage at FHS with a series of sessions dedicated to the Kingdom’s F&B investment scene, including a focus on dining trends, new brands and concepts, levering restaurant technology and food sustainability and security.
Hassan Ahdab, President of Hotels Operation at Dur Hospitality commented: “The last few years have brought radical transformation that, despite being tough, has inspired us to navigate our strategies toward a hospitality market that is more resilient to major shifts and open to change.”
“Saudi Vision 2030 sets the stage for an incredible future for sustainable tourism in the Kingdom. Across nine brands, Hilton is growing its portfolio to more than 75 hotels in the coming years – creating opportunities for our guests to experience Hilton’s Saudi hospitality in many new destinations. Whether it’s a locally flavoured welcome, remarkable culinary experiences, diversity of our teams or sustainable innovations in our hotel operations – we are excited about the Saudi opportunity and see a bright future ahead,” added Jochem-Jan Sleiffer, President, Middle East, Africa and Turkey at Hilton.
With staffing shortages being a pressing issue for the industry globally – accelerated by the global pandemic – FHS will feature a session on “How leaders are addressing the challenge of innovation and human capital in a rapidly changing environment.”
FHS will also feature a series of breakouts covering a range of topics, including the ‘Future of hotel asset management’ led by the Hospitality Asset Managers Association (HAMA); the ‘Future of loyalty schemes, transparency and brand loyalty’ with Scott Antel from Scotts FZ LLE in conversation with Aleph Hospitality’s Founder & Managing Director, Bani Haddad; ‘Why sustainability is key for the future of the hospitality industry’ led by ENVI Lodges Co-Founder Noelle Homsy and Richard Williamson from the Considerate Group; and a breakout on ‘Hybrid lives and the vision of future spaces’ featuring Hamza Khan Co-Founder at Letswork and QUO’s Chief Branding Officer Catherine Monthienvichienchai.
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