The exhibition featured a strong attendance of more than 170 key players from more than 30 countries

HE Sultan bin Rashid al-Khater, Undersecretary of Ministry of Commerce and Industry, inaugurated Hospitality Qatar 2021, alongside a crowd of local and international VIP’s, including ambassadors of the participating countries and heads of international delegations.

Taking part in the opening ceremony, Alessandro Prunas, Ambassador of Italy, hailed the return of the event, and the significance it represents for the Italian companies. “This year’s edition is particularly important because it will allow manufacturers and suppliers to reconnect their business to the Qatari market. The hospitality market in Qatar is a major interest for Italian producers as reflected in the Italian pavilion which is one of the biggest in the event”, said Prunas.

Held in strategic partnership with Qatar Tourism at DECC, the country’s most exclusive and longest-running international hospitality, tourism and HORECA trade show, commenced its 6^th edition with a successful and engaging first day, gathering more than 170 HORECA, tourism and F&B suppliers and service providers, from more than 30 different countries to investors, and industry leaders in Qatar to explore potential investment opportunities in the Qatari hospitality and tourism market.

Commenting on this partnership, Christoph Hodapp, from Qatar Tourism said, “Qatar Tourism recently launched its new international promotional campaign.  The largest such campaign in the entity’s history, this aims to drive forward the country’s tourism goals as it works towards welcoming more than six million visitors a year by 2030. Trade exhibitions such as Hospitality Qatar support sector development by introducing international expertise and showcasing our business events ecosystem. As an important subsector of tourism, it helps drive awareness and investment, and at Qatar Tourism we are very glad to extend our support to MICE organizers and operators.”

In conjunction with the main event and in partnership with Qatar Tourism, the first day kicked off with the ‘Countdown Begins’ conference. The multi-themed conference focuses on the tourism, hospitality, and F&B sectors and serves as a platform for industry key players and policymakers to exchange new insights and discuss recent developments in the industry.

Mohamed al-Mahmeed, Head of Tourism Investment Promotion Section at Qatar Tourism officially opened the first day with a keynote speech addressing Qatar’s tourism and hospitality sector’s readiness to welcome fans for the FIFA 2022 World Cup.  He highlighted new products and services catering to visitors, assuring guests an unforgettable experience.

Denisa Spinkova, Leading Service Excellence at Qatar Tourism, provided an overview of Qatar Tourism’s strategy going forward, from its approach to increasing visitor arrivals and spend, as well as infrastructure developments, particularly in hospitality.  These new products are rooted in Service Excellence, ensuring a seamless visitor experience across each touchpoint. In addition, Spinkova provided an overview of the country’s new promotional campaign, and its execution across platforms.

Further, the opening sessions of the conference featured presentations and discussions on significant industry topics including ‘The Experience Starts from your Home Country: An Unforgettable Travel’ by Qatar Airways, ’Hamad International Airport Strategy to Increase Customer Capacity’ by HIA, and ‘Integrating Brand Standards within the Local Context for Exceptional Design’ by Katara Hospitality.

The first day also witnessed the start of the barista training sponsored and organized by Corona International Company. Café workers in Doha will enjoy a free training in the first two days with an international barista competition to be held in the remaining days. International experts recruited from outside Qatar are expected to join the competition.

Commenting on the first day’s outcome, Haider Mshaimesh, General Manager, IFP Qatar said, “We are excited to commence the industry’s longest-running trade exhibition, which has been missed for two years. Despite the disruption, we are enthralled to witness the incredible turnout on the first day. The succeeding days will have more insightful discussions, interactive activities, and exhibition, as well as potential collaborations that could open ways to move forward in the industry. We are confident that this edition will reflect, if not exceed, the success of the previous years.”

The second day of the conference, in partnership with Qatar Tourism, themed ‘Delivering a Memorable Customer Experience’ featured a programme organised by Jamil Qureshi, a specialist on the psychology of peak performance. Qureshi is one of today’s foremost psychology practitioners, an author and a motivational speaker who has worked with various talented business and sports figures in the world. One of his main focuses was to help teams fulfil their full potentials through performance-enhancing programs.

Haidar Mshaimesh, General Manager of IFP Qatar said, “We are pleased of the results and feedback received from the hospitality sector and stakeholders on the first two days of Hospitality Qatar. The theme on the second day, which is centered on customer experience and service, is one of the important objectives in the travel and hospitality sector as both deals with customers and clients all the time. We aim to help businesses identify solutions and discuss ideas on how to deliver an exemplary experience to local and international visitors. Qatar’s tourism and hospitality sector is gearing up to welcome thousands of tourists next year and this event will help industry professionals to enhance their performance and delivery of customer service.”

“Over the past years we have seen this exhibition grow and grow and it makes us very proud to be part of it; and to showcase as well what Askar does-what makes us stand out from every other competition that is out there in the market,” Said Imad Askar, Operations Director, Askar.

“We are happy to be here with hospitality Qatar as a food tech partner and would like to express our deeper appreciation to IFP for trusting us for this partnership. We are excited to showcase all the features and functions of Talabat. We are excited to organize the restaurant choice awards- a special awards ceremony to recognize our partners restaurants and riders among Talabat network, across various categories,” added Moaiad Aqel, Head of Sales at Talabat.

Over the course of the event, culinary enthusiasts were entertained with live cooking demonstrations featuring the best chefs in Qatar as they present innovative recipes and creative culinary skills. In addition, the designated travel and tourism pavilion offered visitors a four-day exhibition of various travel packages and world’s best tourist destinations.