The agenda for The Hospitality Leadership Forum 2018 has been announced. It will run for three days in Johannesburg as part of Africa Hospitality Week, and will see notable key speakers and panellists discussing various topics relevant to Africa’s hospitality industry.
This year’s conference forms part of The Hotel Show Africa, which will take place from June 24-26 at the Gallagher Conference Centre in Johannesburg.
The programme offers information and insight for all verticals in hospitality, from the changing role of the hotel GM to empowering women in leadership.
The forecast for hotel investment volumes across sub-Saharan Africa is set to grow year on year by 10-20% in 2018 to about $500 million. The sector is undergoing a boom, according to the Hotel Show Africa.
Christine Davidson, Vice President of dmg events in Africa says: “There have been announcements almost weekly from international hotel brands looking to expand on the continent, who are investing millions of dollars, and governments are recognising the vital role tourism plays in their future economy. The Hospitality Leadership Forum offers the opportunity to discover what’s new and hear from some of the people driving the change.”
Each session carriers a panel of up to 10 industry experts giving a varied view on each of the topics, as well as sessions on new data protection regulations and why investing in high-tech security is the way to go, as well as discussions on why marketing needs to be agile to adapt to a fast-moving tourism landscape.
With technology spending in the hotel sector forecast to grow seven percent this year, the first session on day three of the conference will consider what the future will look like. Panellists include Adam Burt, Area IT Director Africa and Indian Ocean for the Radisson Hotel Group and Gillian Saunders, Deputy CEO of Grant Thornton.
“This is not only about understanding the way hotels will operate in the future, it’s also about understanding the changing expectations of guests. We all know that free high-speed WiFi is no longer the benefit it was five years ago, all guests expect it. We know that check-in times have to be fast and painless. But how is your hotel viewed from a sustainability perspective? Are you offering a unique experience? What do you offer that others don’t? Delegates will have the opportunity to consider all this and more at the Hospitality Leadership Forum,” says Davidson.
