The fourth annual Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) is shaping up to be the best yet with stellar line-ups of speakers and attendees confirmed for the event at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins on May 16, 2013.
The event is selling out fast, with several major hotel chains having now committed to more than a hundred tickets for Hoteliers (including Accor Asia-Pacific, IHG, Choice Hotels Australasia, Quest, Wyndham and Toga Hotels), many of whom run the leading properties across Australasia and Asia-Pacific.
For the last three years the event – which annually attracts over 220 hoteliers, suppliers and industry leaders – has been held in Sydney and for 2013 it was decided to give the event a fresh take, including a change of season and city.
Sofitel Melbourne is the venue for the conference, which is being hosted by leading asset manager Howard Kemball and has been themed ‘Leadership Matters – the Leaders of Today and the Future’ – by organisers Intermedia (publisher of HM) and Interpoint Events.
Keynote speakers lined-up for AHICE to date include Carolyn Creswell, founder of Carman’s muesli bars and recent recipient of the prestigious 2012 Telstra Business Woman of the Year Award, and Accor Asia-Pacific’s Chairman and CEO, Michael Issenberg, who is flying in from Singapore for the day-long event.
AHICE will commence on evening of Wednesday May 15, 2013, with an official welcome event currently scheduled to start at 6pm.
The main conference then gets underway at 8:45am on May 16 with a welcome from HM magazine’s Editor-In-Chief James Wilkinson, followed by a series of panels and keynote speakers.
Notable sessions on the day include: ‘The Asian Century’, which will look at travellers’ trends in Asia-Pacific and the outbound markets of China and India; ‘What Owners Want’, a detailed discussion about the expectations of hotel owners in 2013 and beyond; ‘Industry Leaders Forum’, where the region’s leading CEOs will face tough questions from the moderator and the crowd; ‘Business Events’, which will look at the competitive state of the market; and ‘Hotel Development Outlook’ where heads of development will talk about opportunities in Australasia.
Journalist Bruce Guthrie will then close out the day. Guthrie has been editor of The Sunday Age, The Age, Who Weekly, the Weekend Australian Magazine and Wish. His most recent appointment, in 2007, was as editor-in-chief of the Herald-Sun – a role he filled until his dramatic and unexpected exit in November 2008, which is documented in his recent book ‘Man Bites Murdoch’.
“We are thrilled with the response to date for the change of city and season and the whole team are looking forward to hosting a world-class event in a world class destination,” said HM magazine’s Wilkinson.
“Attendees can expect an insightful day from over 20 fantastic speakers from inside and outside the industry and as such, AHICE promises to be a must-attend event on the accommodation industry calendar,” he said.
To date, sponsors of the event include AH Beard, Dometic, Douwe Egberts, Innova Group and SICO, while confirmed industry supporters include Accor Asia-Pacific (platinum), Choice Hotels Australasia (gold), IHG (gold), Quest (gold), Toga Hotels (silver) and Wyndham (silver). Association sponsors are the Accommodation Association of Australia, and Tourism Accommodation Australia, while HM’s sister publication Time Out Australia is a media partner.