Hospitality Qatar 2015 launches in October

Hospitality Qatar 2015, the hospitality and HORECA (Hotels, Restaurants, cafes) show of Qatar, will take place from 13 – 15 October at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC), under the patronage of H.E Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim Al Thani, the Minister of Economy and Commerce.

The show, which is licensed by the Qatar Tourism Authority, will be one of the premier events to feature all aspects of the hotel and franchise market in the Gulf region and represents an excellent platform for local, regional and international HORECA suppliers to meet hospitality professionals from the entire region. It will also allow franchise brands, hotel groups, developers, banks and consultants to network and create new business opportunities with hotels and franchise investors. Hospitality Qatar 2015 is being launched at a time when Qatar is emerging as a major player in the hospitality and franchise investment market in the GCC, due to the requirements of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in terms of Food and Beverage / HORECA supply and hotel construction.

The last few years have seen a swift expansion in the number of hotels and other tourism facilities in Qatar, as the government has invested in transforming the country into a luxury, sports and business destination. Also, the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup has boosted growth across the sector, with the state expected to spend as much as $200bn in the build-up to the global event. The country plans to make significant additions to hotel capacity from around 15,000 to approximately 95,000 rooms by 2022. According to a recent report released by Alpen Capital, the hotel occupancy rate is expected to rise to 70.5% in 2018. Similarly, occupancy rate for serviced apartments is expected to increase to 65.5% by 2018.

Highlighting the need of the Qatari market for a hospitality exhibition, Rawad Sleem, Project Manager of the show said, “I am happy to announce that 86% of the exhibition space has been sold at Hospitality Qatar 2015 to companies that were attracted by the rapid growth of the hospitality and HORECA sector in Qatar, in light of the upcoming FIFA 2022 world Cup and the Qatar National Vision 2030. Therefore suppliers and manufacturers from all over the world have been eager to penetrate the market and contribute to that growth.

This is where Hospitality Qatar plays a role, by hosting the aforementioned suppliers and allowing them to network with hotel investors, consultants & engineers, franchise and retail investors, hotel, restaurants, bar managers and owners, Franchise operators, HORECA operators, hotel management companies, Food & beverage executives, event and catering managers, operations and procurement managers, sales and marketing managers, facility managers, corporate purchasing managers, thus becoming the meeting platform of choice of the hospitality industry in Qatar.”

The show has received valuable support and sponsorship from several companies in Qatar including: Al Sraiya Holding Group (Platinum Sponsor), Elegancia Hospitality Group (Gold Sponsor), ASKAR (Official Kitchen Sponsor), Boecker (Salon Culinaire and Official Hygiene Sponsor) and many more.

Explaining his company's support for Hospitality Qatar, Mr. RashedNassirSraiya Al Kaabi, Vice Chairman of Al Sraiya Holding Group, said: “HQ is the only exhibition in Qatar for the hospitality industry that creates opportunities for the market leaders to network with the GCC and international suppliers, allowing us to create new business ventures. Participating in HQ as a platinum sponsor gives us the exposure and the opportunity to be in touch with the decision makers of the industry. In addition to that, supporting such a successful event works in parallel with our vision and path towards Qatar National Vision 2030.”

Moreover, Boecker Country Manager, Ms. Carla Ghaleb pointed out, “For more than two decades, Boecker® has supported food safety initiative across all its branches. It is very important for us to work on raising the level of awareness and know-how among stakeholders. Hospitality Qatar is a good opportunity for us to share with the F&B and Hospitality industry the different services Boecker® offers in compliance with International standards and local directives. It was only natural for us to tie up with Hospitality Qatar and support the Salon Culinaire."

Mr. Peter Macleod, General Manager for Elegancia Hospitality Group said, “We are confident that Hospitality Qatar will create an environment that will help Elegancia grow, including our business contacts that are needed to grow our customer base. By participating in the exhibition, Elegencia can cover quite a large segment of the market in a short period of time. Hospitality Qatar will give Elegancia brand awareness to potential clients.”

In order to enhance the experience of both exhibitors and visitors alike, Hospitality Qatar 2015 will include four features: the B2B matchmaking, the Salon Culinaire, the Mocktail competition and the Innovation Zone. The show will feature a Business-to-Business matchmaking platform which will host buyers, decision makers, hoteliers, chiefs, procurements and marketing directors to meet with suppliers during the show, through a set of pre-arranged meetings, in a bid to create fruitful business.

Hospitality Qatar 2015 will also feature the Salon Culinaire which will attract the country’s leading chefs to compete across fifteen categories. The Salon Culinaire is organized and co-organized by IFP Qatar LLC and the Qatar Culinary Professionals association respectively. It will also be supervised by the World Association of Chefs Societies for Africa & the Middle East (WACS) and judged by 10 regional and international judges. Moreover, to add some zest, Hospitality Qatar 2015 will also include a Mocktail Competition, a great opportunity for HORECA bartenders to test their knowledge and to compete against each other for the tastiest mocktail in Doha.

Another feature of the show is a special area, the Innovation Zone, which will be dedicated to all the latest products and technologies of the hospitality / HORECA industry. Companies can exhibit their newly invented state-of-the-art products in this zone. Hospitality Qatar 2015 is preparing to become the ultimate platform of the hospitality and HORECA industry in Qatar and the GCC, attracting and hosting the best of the industry under one roof.