Virtual Business Initiative @ The Hotel Show 2007 - Innovative online facility maximizes visitor & exhibitor time by facilitating business meetings

Published May 16th, 2007 - 09:23 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

The Hotel Show, the Middle East's leading supplies exhibition to the region’s burgeoning hospitality and leisure sectors, has launched an innovative online meeting facility to encourage and facilitate business between visitors and exhibitors at the industry showcase.

Visitors to the three-day event which opens at the International Exhibition Centre on 3rd June 2007, can now log on to www.thehotelshow.com where they will find a list of exhibitors with a description of their activities and contact details, including their email addresses. A simple but effective search facility enables them to find the companies and products which are relevant to their business, and contact them in advance of the show to find out more information, set up on-site meetings, and to start a business dialogue before the show even opens.

“The Hotel Show has grown by more than thirty per cent year on year, and 800 exhibitors now cover 13,700 square metres in eight halls. This initiative is designed to assist hotel & leisure professionals in planning their visit to the exhibition, while at the same time ensuring that exhibitors do not miss out on potential business opportunities during the show,” commented Maggie Moore, Exhibition Director of The Hotel Show.
     
This year the show will premiere its technology and security pavilion. With technology playing an increasing role in the hospitality industry, it was decided to dedicate a hi-tech area following consultation and feedback from both exhibitors and visitors at last year’s show. Staying with technology, the show has introduced a B2B section on their website in order to facilitate meetings during the event, between exhibitors and visitors.

Due to the outstanding success last year of the inaugural Seven Star Conference, the two-day programme has been extended this year and includes a cultural awareness seminar to assist exhibitors from outside of the region, or indeed new to the area, to understand better the way that business is conducted in the Middle East. Regional and international experts will also address issues concerning the human resource challenge that the Middle East hospitality industry will face over the next five years and the growing popularity of spas and how to measure effectively the ROI they achieve. 

Minimalist contemporary designer Karim Rashid will once again feature, this time in the context of the show itself. In conjunction with DEPA United Group, he will be presenting a concept hotel bedroom that will take centre stage at the show.