Sub-Saharan Africa needs tourism for jobs and investment and a new expo based on one of the world’s most successful brands will bring international experience to Johannesburg in June 2017

Some of the world’s leading experts in hospitality have agreed to appear at the inaugural The Hotel Show Africa as part of its international three-day conference.

The Hotel Show Africa brings together leading hospitality suppliers from around the world alongside the three-day Vision Conference, focused this year on developing sub-Saharan Africa’s hotel industry.

Vision Conference chairman Martin Kubler has more than two decades of international experience running four and five star hotels across Europe and the Middle East.

“Africa presents amazing opportunities, but also its own unique challenges,” says Kubler. “The Vision Conference at The Hotel Show in Dubai attracts hundreds of delegates and I believe we will present over the three days in June, a powerful insight into future growth for the African market.” 

The first day starts with a presentation on the outlook for Africa’s hospitality and tourism market by Gillian Saunders, who is Deputy CEO of audit tax and advisory firm, Grant Thornton in Johannesburg, and Head of Advisory Services in South Africa. Gillian has 25 years’ consulting to the hospitality, tourism and leisure industries.

The Hotel Show Africa 2017 is adapted for the continent and based on international organiser dmg events MEA’s highly successful The Hotel Show in Dubai.

Dubai has seen growth in hotel rooms over the past 15 years unequalled anywhere else in the world and the city will provide some guest speakers for The Vision Conference in South Africa.

Bani Haddad, founder and managing director, Aleph Hospitality (Dubai) will host a key session examining how Africa can fund its hotels.  Third party investment and franchising is already responsible for more than 260,000 hotel rooms in the USA - but is still to be exploited in Africa.

He’s joined by Scott Antel, Hospitality and Leisure Partner, Berwin Leighton Paisner, who has more than 20 years’ experience advising both owners-developers and international operators across the Middle East, Russia/CIS, the Baltics and Asia. He was awarded the Russia/CIS Hotel Investment Forum's 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to emerging markets.

The Hotel Show Africa 2017 and The Vision Conference will take place from June 25 to 27 at The Gallagher Conference Centre co-located with the continent’s long-established food and beverage show Africa’s Big 7.  This is the biggest food and hospitality platform ever staged and both are part of three co located events under the Retail & Hospitality Week 2017 banner.

“The Hotel Show Africa brings a new focus to the hospitality industry,” says Tshifhiwa Tshivhengwa, CEO of the Federated Hospitality Association of Southern Africa (FEDHASA), which is a strategic partner for show.

The hospitality sector is a key growth target for governments across sub-Saharan Africa and the continent has almost 30,000 new rooms under construction at 159 hotels this year.

Top national and international suppliers have signed up to showcase hospitality products for restaurants, cafes, bars and hotels, right through to food & beverage service outlets. 

Christine Davidson, Vice President of organiser dmg events says: “We are very excited to bring a globally recognised brand to the Africa hospitality market and have been working closely with the industry to ensure the show meets the needs of all hospitality professionals.”

The Hotel Show 2017 is part of Retail & Hospitality Week 2017 at The Gallagher Convention Centre, Johannesburg, South Africa, from June 25 to 27.

Learn more about The Hotel Show Africa 2017 and The Vision Conference at www.thehotelshowafrica.com