Mark your calendars: the Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) is set to return to Melbourne in 2018 with two action-packed, creative, inspiring and informative days on May 2 and 3.
At AHICE 2018, hosted by HM and to be held at Grand Hyatt Melbourne, hear from the best and learn from the best as investment, management, innovation and information collide at the year’s most inspiring and educational hotel industry conference in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.
With the theme of ‘Connect, Respond and Engage to stay on top of the game in 2018’, AHICE promises to be one of the biggest events on the Australian hotel industry calendar, particularly on the back of strong momentum from the 2017 event, which drew a record crowd of almost 800 hoteliers, suppliers and leading consultants.
AHICE 2018 already has strong backing, with industry heavyweights Hostplus and Intrust Super on-board as Diamond Sponsors.
The 2017 AHICE was the biggest event yet, with over 750 attending the event on May 3-4 in Melbourne.
With a speaker program packed with interviews and panels featuring the world’s leading hoteliers, AHICE 2017 was the most comprehensive educational event yet, one that was a balance between operations and investment, highlighting innovation, productivity and performance in an age of disruption.
Speakers are flew into the event from New York, London, Honolulu, Singapore, Tokyo, Jakarta and Hong Kong, while local talent also hailed from right across Australia and New Zealand.
Major keynote presentations came from David Seargeant, Group Managing Director, Event Hospitality and Entertainment; Chris Adams, Global Head of Research and Insights, and GM – South Pacific, Miles Marketing; Drew Bowering, Director – Market Management, Australia, Expedia Inc; Holly Ranson, CEO, Emergent; Hans Schaepman, General Manager, 1 Hotel Central Park New York; CJ Holden, Event Director, LE Miami; and Monica Parker, Founder, Hatch Analytics were all very well received. Short and sharp keynote Q&As were again a major feature of AHICE 2017, and the event featured interviews with: David Assef, Managing Director, Spicers Retreats; Michael Issenberg, Chairman and COO – Asia-Pacific, AccorHotels; Bob East, CEO, Mantra Group; William Deague, CEO, Asian Pacific Group and Art Series Hotel Group; Brendan O’Farrell, CEO, Intrust Super; Jerry Schwartz, owner, Schwartz Family Hotels; Zed Sanjana, CEO, Quest Apartment Hotels; Barry Robinson, President and Managing Director, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific, and Wyndham Hotel Group South East Asia and Pacific Rim; Karin Sheppard, COO Australasia and Japan, IHG; Rajeev Menon, Chief Operating Officer – Asia Pacific (Excluding Greater China), Marriott International; Greg Clerk, Head of Investment Strategy, Hostplus; Paul Richardson, Chief Operating Officer, Outrigger Enterprises Limited; Phil Kasselis, Managing Director, Pro-Invest; Thorsten Kirschke, President – Asia Pacific, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group; and Rachel Argaman, CEO, TFE Hotels In Australian hotel conference first, exclusive never-before-seen video interviews were broadcast featuring Sébastien Bazin, CEO, AccorHotels and Richard Solomons, CEO, IHG.
AHICE also featured industry updates from the leading hotel and tourism associations; panel sessions covering development, food and beverage, new brands, ownership issues, technology, human resources and much more.
AHICE, hosted by HM magazine, once more drew significant support from both suppliers and hotel chains in 2017, with over 40 partners involved in the event this year. Diamond Sponsors Hostplus and Intrust Super; Gold Sponsors Dyson and Samsung; Silver Sponsors are Hanview, Job Active, AH Beard, Liveport, Marriott International, Microhire, Ming Fai Group, Optical Solutions Australia, RMS and XN Protel. Diamond Supporter AccorHotels; Platinum Supporters Accommodation Association of Australia, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, InterContinental Hotels Group, Quest Apartment Hotels and Tourism Accommodation Australia; Gold Supporters Event Hospitality and Entertainment, Hilton, Hyatt, Mantra Group, TFE Hotels and Wyndham Hotel Group; and Silver Supporters Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Lancemore Group, Pan Pacific Hotels Group and Swiss-Belhotel International. Industry Supporters of the event are the Accommodation Association of Australia, AFTA, 2017 HM Awards, HM Headline News, Spice magazine, Tourism Accommodation Australia, TimeOut Australia, Travmedia.com and Wayfarer Travel TV show.
More details, including a call for papers, topics and panels, will be revealed soon at www.ahice.com.au and www.hotelmanagement.com.au
A limited number of sponsorship opportunities will be available for AHICE 2018, and more information is available by contacting Adam Daff on +61 (0)2 8586 6207 or by email adaff@intermedia.com.au