SPECIAL EVENTS Hilton Worldwide Sales EMEA NEWSLETTER
Contents Dear Readers Hilton For Luxury Immersion- Event Recap Hilton Germany Showcase- Event Recap Q3 At a Glance Where we have been Arabian Travel Market What Our Customers Say Looking Ahead Team Member Spotlight
Opening Message from Nicky Gittins: Director Sales Support & Customer Engagement – HWS EMEA
Hilton For Luxury Weekend Immersion Hilton for Luxury Weekend Immersion at Waldorf Astoria Helsinki From 10–13 September, we welcomed 35 customers and 20 hoteliers to Waldorf Astoria Helsinki for an inspiring weekend immersion showcasing the very best of the city and the brand’s elevated luxury offering. Guests experienced outstanding service, exceptional culinary moments and beautifully appointed rooms, all within a sophisticated residential neighbourhood just moments from the sea and Helsinki city centre. The programme combined meaningful business engagement with memorable destination experiences. Following Friday’s presentations and ahead of the one-to-one meetings, attendees enjoyed fresh air and striking coastal views during an Archipelago Sailing Boat Cruise. On Saturday afternoon, after further meetings and a light lunch, guests selected from a series of carefully curated activities designed to reveal more of Helsinki’s character, culture and heritage. Highlights included The Alvar Aalto House, a UNESCO World Heritage List site, a traditional Finnish sauna experience on Lonna Island, a guided tour of The Ateneum Art Museum and a Helsinki city walk with a local guide. The weekend was further elevated by memorable dining experiences at the host hotel, Waldorf Astoria Helsinki, as well as two Michelin-starred restaurants, Nokka and Finnjävel. To build anticipation ahead of the event, each client received a Monocle book of the Nordics as inspiration for the experience to come. A dedicated Know Before You Go website, built in Blackthorn, provided guests with all essential event information in one place, including the agenda, attending hotels and customers, dress code, menus, hosts and speakers, and activity details.
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Hilton Germany Showcase– Event Recap Hamburg welcomes Hilton Germany Showcase From 03–05 September, Conrad Hamburg became the stage for the Hilton Germany Showcase Hamburg, bringing together 52 valued customers and 32 Hilton hotels for three inspiring days of connection, discovery and meaningful business exchange. Set in one of Germany’s most vibrant cities, the event created the perfect opportunity for customers and hotels to meet, share insights and explore new opportunities across the Hilton portfolio. The program opened on Thursday with a warm welcome, followed by dedicated meeting time between hotels and customers. Alongside the appointments, guests joined a Hilton Safety & Security presentation and received the latest updates on the Hilton portfolio. After a busy first day of conversations and networking, the evening ended on a high note with an amazing dinner at GRETA OTO at Conrad Hamburg, offering a stylish setting to continue the discussions in a relaxed atmosphere. Friday offered the ideal balance of business and destination experience. The morning focused on one-to-one appointments, updates from Hilton Luxury & Lifestyle and an introduction to Hilton’s incentive program for customers. Hilton hotels also joined the Leisure & Group Tour session, where key leisure customers shared valuable market insights during engaging panel discussions. In the afternoon, Hamburg itself took centre stage with visits to the Chocoversum, the Spice Museum and the Coffee Museum. To close the day, all groups came together aboard one of Hamburg’s oldest sailing ships for a fantastic dinner inspired by local food, suppliers and the city’s maritime charm — a memorable finale to a showcase full of connections, insights and Hamburg hospitality.
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Q3 – At a Glance A snapshot of the scale, reach and momentum of our Q3 event delivery
14 Key Events Delivered Including 1 tradeshows
~1000 Customers Participated
220 Hotels Joined These engagement opportunities
Gennuss Akademie
Arabian Travel Market 2026 Connections That Drive Growth Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2026 once again demonstrated the power of bringing Hilton's hotels, customers, and sales teams together to create meaningful business opportunities and strengthen relationships across the industry. Hilton welcomed customers, partners, and colleagues to its brandnew stand at Dubai World Trade Centre, creating a dynamic environment for networking, collaboration, and future growth. With 34 participating hotels and 50 Hilton Worldwide Sales representatives in attendance, the stand became a central hub for conversations, connections, and partnership building throughout the four-day event. Designed to showcase the breadth and diversity of Hilton's portfolio, the new stand offered an engaging experience for visitors while providing valuable opportunities for our teams and hotel partners to connect with customers from across the region and beyond. Every meeting, conversation, and introduction reinforced Hilton's commitment to delivering exceptional hospitality and long-term partnership value.
A Celebration of Partnership A highlight of the week was Hilton's signature client event at Waldorf Astoria DIFC. Bringing together 50 Hilton Worldwide Sales representatives, 40 hotel partners, and more than 150 customers, the evening celebrated the relationships that continue to drive success across the Middle East and Africa. Inspired by the theme "Meet Me at the Clock," guests enjoyed an unforgettable evening featuring spectacular entertainment, elevated hospitality experiences, and opportunities to connect in a relaxed and inspiring setting. The event perfectly captured Hilton's ability to bring people together, creating memorable moments while fostering business conversations that will continue well beyond ATM
Creating Something Together One of the most unique elements of this year's experience was the collaborative Paint-by-Numbers activation. Customers, partners, and team members each contributed to a shared artwork inspired by Waldorf Astoria Dubai Palm Jumeirah. Throughout the event, hundreds of individual contributions came together to create a lasting piece that now proudly hangs within the hotel. The activation became a fitting symbol of ATM itself: individual conversations, partnerships, and contributions coming together to create something far greater than the sum of its parts.
Arabian Travel Market 2026 ATM 2036 by the Numbers
34 Participating Hotels
150+ Customers Engaged at the Evening Event
50 Hilton Worldwide Sales Representatives
40 Hotel Partners at the Client Event
1 Collaborative Artwork Created
4 Days of Networking, Relationship Building and Business Growth
Looking Ahead ATM 2026 showcased the strength of Hilton's portfolio, the dedication of our teams, and the value of face-to-face connections in driving business success. Most importantly, it reinforced that while our hotels and brands continue to grow, it is our relationships with customers and partners that remain at the heart of everything we do. Thank you to every hotel partner, customer, and Hilton team member who helped make ATM 2026 such a memorable success. Together, we continue to create opportunities, strengthen partnerships, and deliver The Stay that customers remember long after the event concludes.
HILTON HWS EMEA
CUSTOMER VOICE | Q1-Q3 2026
More than an event. A moment of connection
EDITORIAL FEATURE
Across every welcome, conversation and shared experience, customers felt the value of being together.
BEHIND EVERY SCORE IS A HUMAN MOMENT
A new introduction. A familiar face. A conversation that sparked an idea. A hotel experience that gave a customer confidence in what could come next. From London to Milan and Hamburg, our events gave customers something increasingly valuable: meaningful time together. They came to discover Hilton, reconnect with colleagues, and meet the people our hotels. They left with stronger relationships, renewed confidence, and new possibilities for future business.
Please do more of these. They are great and very helpful for future work opportunities. I see only positive benefits!
The feedback tells a consistent story. Customers value the opportunity to engage with Hilton face to face, but the impact goes beyond access. It is the welcome, the conversation and the thoughtful detail that turns an event into a memorable experience.
CUSTOMER FEEDBACK ENTERTAINMENT EVENT, NOMAD LONDON
THE STORY IN THREE NUMBERS
8.9/10
82%
114
AVERAGE VALUE RATING
FELT VERY ENGAGED
CUSTOMER VOICES
They arrived looking for connections. They left with relationships, inspiration and new possibilities. WHAT CUSTOMERS WILL REMEMBER
Four events. Four distinct memories. Different experiences, united by one feeling : time with Hilton was time well spent.
FOUR MOMENTS FROM THE JOURNEY
WHAT WE HAD
NOMAD LONDON | 9.0/10 A beautiful setting where hotel discovery, entertainment and personal conversations came together.
CONNECTION Customers valued having Hilton representatives, hotels and industry colleagues together in one place.
FESTIVAL OF BRANDS, LONDON | 8.8/10 A vibrant Hilton world under one roof, opening conversations, ideas and future possibilities.
DISCOVERY Show-rounds, new openings, brand updates and educational sessions inspired ideas and greater confidence.
ITALY WORKSHOP, MILAN | 9.3/10 A warm Italian welcome that made business conversations feel personal and memorable.
HOSPITALITY Distinctive venues, thoughtful hosting, food and interactive experiences made the events memorable.
GERMANY SHOWCASE, HAMBURG | 9.0/10 Focused meetings and shared experiences that turned introductions into valuable relationships.
“A truly impressive effort from the entire Hilton team, something to be very proud of.”
Their words are more than feedback. They are helping us shape the experiences still to come.
LOOKING AHEAD Q4 IS APPROACHING FAST As we move into the last quarter of the year, the Special Events calendar continues to build momentum with a strong mix of workshops, roadshows, advisory formats, luxury activations, and key industry events across EMEA.
WHAT’S COMING UP Q4 features a strong calendar of industry-leading events and customer engagement opportunities across the leisure, luxury, and MICE sectors. Highlights include the Pre-WTM Roadshow and WTM London, providing direct access to major leisure partners and global travel buyers; the Luxury Brands MEA Luxury Summit, and IBTM World, alongside associated networking dinners and pre-conference activities. These events create meaningful opportunities to increase brand visibility, showcase hotel capabilities, strengthen strategic partnerships, and drive future business growth.
2026 Customer Engagement Plan
Team Member Spotlight Meet Dipali Dayal Manger Special Events, HWS EMEA
About Me
After graduating with a First-Class degree in Events Management, I began my Hilton journey as a Group, Conference & Events Executive at Hilton Warwick. I then moved to Hilton St George’s Park, where I had the exciting opportunity to experience the England football team during the Euros. For the past five years, I’ve been part of the HWS EMEA Special Events team, leading the delivery of major industry events including ITB, IMEX, IBTM, ATM, WTM, and most recently, The Meetings Show. From booth design and hosted buyer programmes to customer events and on-site logistics, I enjoy bringing every detail together to create seamless and memorable experiences for our customers and hotels.
Why Special Events? I’ve always loved organising and naturally enjoy turning the many moving parts of an event into a clear, well-structured plan. What attracts me most to Special Events is that no two projects are ever the same, with each one bringing new challenges, opportunities, and creative solutions. I enjoy the detail as much as the bigger picture, from designing trade show floorplans and ensuring our booth reflects the Hilton brand portfolio, to developing engaging activations and customer experiences. I also look for opportunities to incorporate learning and innovation, whether through brand presentations, creative video concepts, or interactive experiences. Problem-solving, planning, and bringing ideas to life are what make Special Events such a perfect fit for both my strengths and personality.
My Dream Event
While it’s not technically an event, my dream project would be working behind the scenes on a major TV production such as Stranger Things. After watching the making of the series, I became fascinated by the level of planning and coordination involved. From managing filming schedules and locations to overseeing the many moving parts of production, it has a lot in common with event management on a much larger scale. I’d love the opportunity to be part of a team that brings such an ambitious project to life, helping coordinate timelines, sets, and logistics while ensuring everything runs smoothly. It would undoubtedly be challenging, but the chance to combine organisation, creativity, and problem-solving in such a unique environment would be incredible.
Thank you
Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch | Hard Hat Tour
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