HOTEL SHOW OPENS FOR BUSINESS AS MIDDLE EAST HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY HEADS FOR MAJOR GROWTH

Sheikh Hasher bin Juma Al Maktoum, Director, Dubai Department of Information, today officially opened The Hotel Show, the Middle East’s leading hotel supplies exhibition.
Sheikh Hasher was accompanied by Bernard Walsh, Managing Director of dmg world media Dubai Ltd, organisers of the event, as he officially inaugurated the three-day exhibition taking place at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre.
He then set off on a tour of the exhibition halls where 425 companies from a record 41 countries are displaying a huge range of products and services vital to a hotel’s day-to-day operations.
The Hotel Show opens at a time when the region’s hospitality industry is heading for more major growth, with Abu Dhabi and Dubai alone in the process of adding some 30,000 new hotel rooms.
Over the three days of the event the organisers expect to attract 8,000 hospitality industry decision makers with the purchasing power to source goods and services for existing and new hotels throughout the region.
For the first time, the exhibition will see an official French national pavilion comprising 25 manufacturers of hotel equipment, bathroom accessories, textiles, wall decorations and electronic equipment. An additional five French manufacturers will take part in the event separately bringing the number of French exhibitors at The Hotel Show to 30.
The French pavilion is organised by UBIFrance, a government organisation for international business development, and supported by PROMEETING, which acts on behalf of international trade shows organisers to promote their events in Europe.
“With a vibrant economy and booming hospitality market, the Gulf region has a great potential for French manufacturers,” said Thierry Boquien, Head of Industry & Consumer Products Department, UBIFRANCE.
 Juliette Blanzy, Project Manager of PROMEETING, said: “With its carefully selected hospitality industry audience, The Hotel Show provides the right platform for establishing new contacts as well as strengthening existing ones for all French manufacturers.”
The exhibition also features ten other national pavilions, representing Australia, China, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Malta, Mexico, Spain, Turkey and the UK.
Many new products are being given their Middle East launch this week. French IT specialist Broadcast Avenue, which plans to open a Dubai office within a year, is introducing an Arabic language version of its Open Digital Services product. This provides a complete technical infrastructure for broadcasting digital media to any type of terminal, including TVs and PCs.
French designer Marie Della Foata, known for her exquisite porcelain table-ware and accessories, is launching a new fountain design. Developed in collaboration with designer Françoise Persouyre, the leaf-shaped creation of porcelain and bronze is manufactured by GHM, which has manufactured and supplied the external lighting and decorative fountains of many  private palaces and villas in the region.
Also being showcased is a wide selection of high-tech products and services, from security and guest entertainment systems to the newest leisure equipment, furniture and accessories. The exhibition is open from 11 am-7 pm daily, and attendance is free for trade visitors.
Running alongside the event is The Office Exhibition, giving office suppliers a valuable introduction to the rapidly expanding Middle East office development sector.