Tag Archives: Jonathan Worsley

AHIC will return live and in-person from September 20-22, 2021 at Madinat Jumeirah in Dubai, facilitating much-needed conversation, networking and market insight to help hotel investors, owners and operators steer the post-pandemic hospitality landscape in the Middle East and Africa. Reimagined for 2021 under the theme Rise Together, the new-look Arabian & African Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC) will bring together the four close-knit investment communities of the Arabian Hospitality Investment Conference (AHIC), Saudi Arabia Hospitality Investment Conference (SHIC), Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) and the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (GRIF). Key representatives from each of these communities gathered in Dubai earlier this month at the AHIC 2021 Advisory Board, a meeting of 40 leading hoteliers and investors invited to influence the content of AHIC, now in its 17th edition and organised by Bench in partnership with MEED. In addition, 20 of the region’s leaders in F&B gathered at a separate meeting to ensure the needs of the restaurant community are integrated into AHIC. Jonathan Worsley, chairman of Bench and founder of AHIC, said, “By the time AHIC opens in September, our delegates will have navigated 18 months of virtual meetings and business conducted behind screens. The Advisory Board, held at The Emirates Academy of Hospitality Management, provided a mirror into the unmatched value of face-to-face networking, with hotel owners and operators beginning the AHIC conversation; sharing their problems, suggesting solutions, and ultimately coming together to develop a roadmap for the future.” Jennifer Pettinger-Haines, managing director Middle East for Bench, added: “Together with our Advisory Board, we are shaping an AHIC that will bridge our investment communities in the Middle East and Africa, across hotels and F&B. There will be macro-economic …

Future Hospitality Summit is set to take place live from Riyadh and around the world, on from October 26-27, 2020. Organised by the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia and G20 Saudi Secretariat, as part of The International Conferences Programme, honouring the G20 Saudi presidency year 2020, Future Hospitality Summit will be powered by Bench Digital. The event, which promises to be one of the most impactful gatherings of the world’s hospitality community, will be delivered on Bench Digital’s tried-and-tested, cutting-edge, digital event platform – providing an immersive live experience, including a virtual exhibition, one-to-one video networking, and integrated chat features for all participants. “As a country that is at the forefront of the tourism sector’s response and recovery plans through the G20 Presidency, Saudi Arabia is leading the conversation on the future of tourism and will provide an international platform to bring the industry together at the Future Hospitality Summit. Together, we will map out the rebuilding of the tourism and travel sector and strategically plan a sustainable future for stakeholders at every level,” says Mahmoud Abdulhadi, Deputy Minister for Investment at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman & Founder of Bench Digital, adds, “During this difficult time, it is vital that hospitality professionals across the globe come together as a community to work towards the recovery of our industry. Future Hospitality Summit will not only provide a powerful platform to network virtually, showcase best practice and demonstrate thought leadership, but it will also prove invaluable in ensuring that the industry emerges stronger as a whole from these unprecedented challenges.”

The 16th edition of the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), will take place in a brand new format over three days from 29 September – 01 October 2020 with an exciting programme filled with critical insights from industry leaders, and networking opportunities designed for the new world. AHIC will be ‘on the road’ for the three-day programme, broadcasting live from pop-up studios across hotels in Dubai with select audiences, shared simultaneously on a virtual platform with the AHIC online community worldwide. During the three days attendees will be able to create their personalised schedules, choosing the sessions and activities they would like to attend either virtually or on-site in Dubai. Commenting on the new format of AHIC, Jonathan Worsley – Chairman of Bench Events and Founder of AHIC, said, “We have had to start from scratch and imagine what bringing the hotel investment industry together looks like in September 2020. It’s a very different scenario to what we have done in the past as the industry has changed, our community’s needs have changed and the regulations governing events have changed. However, what remains constant and more pressing than ever, is the need for the industry to come together, connect, share information, challenges and solutions and be inspired. AHIC is an important opportunity for the industry to demonstrate its resilience and how it is evolving to bounce back stronger.”