A major international line-up of 140 exhibitors, and several thousand hotel trade visitors will assemble this month in Dubai, UAE, when the Middle East's leading hotel supplies showcase, The Hotel Show, opens at Airport Expo Dubai.
The show will be staged from April 8 to 10.
When it was held for the first time last year, the exhibition attracted more than 130 exhibitors representing 200 companies from 22 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe, the GCC, North America and South Africa, says Streamline Marketing, the organiser.
"The quality, and range, of so many hotel suppliers, all brought together under one roof, emphasises the value of the exhibition to the Middle East hotel industry," said Joanne Evans, director of Streamline Marketing. "We attracted more than 3,000 quality visitors last year, and expect many more this time."
A UAE building materials specialist will use the show to launch new granite products from Malaysia, ceramics from Spain and the latest sanitary ware range from Italy.
Nazo Building Materials, UAE distributor for Malaysian Mosaics Berhad, Hatria and several prestigious ceramic factories from Spain, will use the exhibition to announce the opening of its first Dubai branch Ceramic City, which has a prime position adjacent to the City Centre Hotel and Residence, adding to Nazo's existing presence in Sharjah and the Far East.
Founded in 1980, Nazo Building Materials has become a leading supplier of ceramic, granite and sanitary ware to hotels, architects, contractors and interior designers in the UAE, and the rest of the Middle East.
"The exhibition brings us into contact with potential new clients from around the Middle East, and we'll be taking the opportunity to promote our new product ranges and the new Dubai branch," said general manager, Sara Boulghourijian. "It's all about exposure, networking and new business."
For UAE-based IT specialist, Alpha Data, which has an annual turnover of more than $60 million, the event is providing a perfect platform for introducing hotels to its internet-to-the-room solutions, which minimise the need for data infrastructure.
Another UAE company, Habtoor International, distributor for a variety of leading manufacturers of catering and food service equipment, will be using the show to introduce a range of products - from coffee-makers to full kitchen equipment - for the hotel and beverage industry.
Abu Dhabi-based International Gas Services, which has recently signed an agreement with German manufacturer Mapress, will be introducing the company's advanced pressfitting system at the show.
The new system for the linking of pipes replaces welding, eliminating the risk of leaks for LPG users, which include five-star hotels throughout the Middle East.
"This is a very interesting new business relationship for us," said Mohammed Damak, general manager of International Gas Services, Abu Dhabi's first LPG installation company. "The technology behind the pressfitting system has already been used in the water supply industry, but it is new to gas installation, and this is the first time that it is being introduced in the Middle East."
An Austrian lighting manufacturer will be aiming to cash in on the show for a second year. The Lights of Vienna group of companies, which produces a full range of decorative lighting, secured two contracts worth $800,000 from last year's appearance.
Currently working with partners in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman, the group sells directly to customers in Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt, and will be displaying a full range of products for four and five-star hotels. After a turnover in the Middle East of $2.5 million in 1999, this grew to $2.8 million last year, while the group is predicting $2.5 million worth of business from the region for each of the next two years.
Looking ahead to The Hotel Show, sales director Harald Liebsch said: "The boom of the 70s and 80s, when European manufacturers could almost name their price in this market, is long gone. Clients are much more price-orientated nowadays, and this has opened the door for a lot of trading companies from the Far East, and for local competition. More and more, business depends on how well established you are, and whether you are capable of meeting lower budgets, and can convince of clients of quality of your service, and products."
Italian manufacturer of bed and table linen, Emmepi, launches a new line of products for hotels, and hopes the exhibition can help it build on a 10-year association with customers in the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, by opening new Middle East markets.
A group of Northern Ireland companies will launch a comprehensive range of products for hotel interiors at the show. The companies which already count major hotels among their clients have combined under a new marketing brand, Madini Hotel Works, to provide an extensive range of products and services to the industry worldwide, a spokesman said.
The Madini Hotel Works pavilion will be the biggest presentation at this exhibition, said the spokesman.
Participating in Madini Hotel Works - an initiative backed by Trade International Northern Ireland, the region's main export and trade body - are companies such as Ulster Carpet Mills, Liddell Linens, Moygashel Linens, Glenanne Jacquards, Adamsez Bathrooms, Tyrone Crystal and Philip Rodgers Interiors. The group will showcase two complete hotel suites with the latest lounge, bathroom and bedroom furnishings - one will feature classic furnishing style and the other contemporary designs. Northern Ireland companies will also offer developers reception desk systems and kitchen equipment.
"The presentation at the Hotel Show is the first event in a major three-year marketing drive to assist the growth of Northern Ireland companies targeting this rapidly developing market sector," said Bill McGinnis, chairman of Madini Hotel Works. "Our intention is to roll out Madini Hotel Works in other international markets over the next 12 months. This is an important initiative that carries forward the longstanding traditions of our companies in the design and manufacture of quality interior furnishings.''
All the companies taking part in the Madini Hotel Works campaign are located in Northern Ireland and most are active in export markets, several already supplying major hotels and chains such as Hilton International, Crowne Plaza, Mandarin Oriental and the Sheraton.
The world's leading manufacturer of pianos, Steinway & Sons is to use a designer grand piano specially created to celebrate the musical instrument's 300th anniversary, to break into the lucrative Middle East hotel market. In confirming its presence at show, Steinway & Sons has emphasised that the event can help the company expand its sales and clientbase, and attract agents and distributors in the Middle East.
"As we specialise in high standard, quality products, the Middle East is a very important market," said James Ledgerwood, sales representative, export, Steinway & Sons. "Luxury hotel development is a new area for us, which is why we've decided to take part in the exhibition."
Steinway & Sons will use show to introduce the Middle East market to its limited edition "Tricentennial" piano which embodies the company's 148-year long tradition of hand craftsmanship and technical innovation.
The event is being held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, UAE Minister of Defence, and chairman of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM). The exhibition isupported by the DTCM, Dnata, the official travel agent, Freightworks Expo, official freight forwarder, Budget Rent-a-car, Hotel Intelligence Middle East, the official publication, Airport Expo Dubai, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, the official hotel and leisure consultant to the show.
Running alongside the exhibition, and taking place at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel on April 8 and 9, the Hotel Intelligence Middle East 2001 Conference, organised by R&R Communications, will focus on the challenge and opportunities facing the Middle East hotel industry.
