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CONFERENCES: ASIA PACIFIC HOTEL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION (AHICE)
See you in Adelaide
THE ASIA PACIFIC HOTEL INDUSTRY CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION (AHICE) PROMISES ANOTHER SPECTACULAR WEEK FOR THE HOTEL INDUSTRY WITH TOP NOTCH SPEAKERS, IN-DEPTH INSIGHTS AND STELLAR NETWORKING AT THE ADELAIDE OVAL THIS MAY.
Acollection of global hotel leaders and international keynotes have been announced for the upcoming Asia Pacific Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) which returns to the Adelaide Oval on May 7-8, 2025.
Last year AHICE welcomed over 1,500 delegates and registrations are showing high attendance again this year.
The event has garnered support from over 60 sponsors including 1834 Hotels, Accor, Agilysys, EVT, Hilton, Hostplus, IHG Hotels and Resorts, JLL, Marriott International, Minor Hotels, Radisson Hotel Group and Travel and Leisure, as Principal partners.
INTERNATIONAL AND LOCAL KEYNOTES
Flying in from Los Angeles is lead singer of Ashenmoon, RadioXX and Juke Kartel, Toby Rand. Having started his music career in Melbourne, Rand has gone on to be an acclaimed artist in the United States and Australia. He shot to fame on the TV show Rockstar: Supernova and now has residencies in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
Having regularly performed in hotels like Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, Rand is a strong advocate of the power of supporting local artists. In this enlightening discussion he will look at the opportunity hotels have to support local artists and in turn provide guests with fantastic entertainment, night-in, night-out.
Flying in from the UK is All Saints Founder, Stuart Trevor, who will deliver a keynote address on shaking up the world of fashion in hotels. Combining his love for fashion, having fun and protecting the planet, Trevor has developed a mission-drive clothing line using only existing clothing. Now, he’s launching into the world of hotels with creative ranges like never before.
Trevor’s high energy and passion for combating the high-waste fast fashion industry with a more sustainable alternative is set to inspire delegates to take action in their own way.
Following on the theme of businesses doing good, AHICE will feature a keynote presentation by ReLove Founders Renuka Fernando and Ben Stammer.
Since its launch in 2019, ReLove has quickly grown to be one of Australia’s leading support services for people in crisis who need to create homes from scratch. The not-for-profit association works with causes supporting families impacted by domestic violence, people experiencing homelessness and people seeking asylum. A number of hotels in Australia have been involved with ReLove by donating furniture when they are refurbishing and it’s having a major impact already.
GLOBAL HOTELIERS
A selection of global hotel leaders will also take to the stage including IHG Hotels and Resorts’ SVP & MD EAPAC, Rajit Sukumaran, Minor Hotels Chief Executive Officer, Dillip Rajakarier; and Travel + Leisure Co President and Managing Director International Operations, Barry Robinson.
Several global development leaders will also take to the stage at this year’s conference, including Accor Premium, Midscale & Economy Brands Global Chief Development Officer, Camil Yazbeck; Accor Global Chief Development Officer – Luxury, Europe and Sofitel, MGallery & Emblems, Xavier Grange; Minor Hotels Global Chief Development and Luxury Officer, Omar Romero; and Radisson Hotel Group Global Head of Development, Elie Younes.
LOCAL LEADERS
Premier of South Australia, The Hon Peter Malinauskas MP, will take to the stage for a Q&A interview covering the hotel and tourism landscape. The Premier returns following his 2024 appearance at AHICE, in which he candidly shared stories about his memories in hotels.
Local and regional hotel, aviation and tourism leaders from companies such as EVT, Hilton, Luxury Escapes, Salter Brothers Hospitality and many more will also share their market insights with delegates.
ALL-NEW INN TECH SUMMIT
An all-new addition to AHICE this year, is the INN Tech Hotel Technology Summit, presented by Agilysys. This mini summit will feature power sessions on revenue management, the intelligent guest journey, on-property technology and OTAs, as well as a Q&A with Agilysys, Sales Engineer, Asia Pacific, Chris Ormiston, on boosting profitability and guest satisfaction.
Booking.com, Canary Technologies, Expedia Group, IDeaS Revenue Solutions, Emekeli Research, Foxtel, FutureLog and Mews are among the industry giants that will share insights into emerging technologies with hoteliers.
OWNERS AND INVESTORS
Leading investors including Schwartz Family Co Director, Dr Jerry Schwartz; Lancemore Group CEO, Julian Clark; and Hotel Capital Partners Chief Investment Officer & Head of Asset Management, Lucia Grambalova; will take to the stage to look at the segments, destinations, and brands that are fuelling growth.
Also, on the investment front, JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group Executive Vice President, Adam Bury; Serene Capital Fund Manager, Andrew Brandon; Ark Capital Partners Chief Financial Officer, Ed Faraguna; and CapitaLand Australia Director, Investment & Business Development, Ivy Cheng, will discuss expectations of capital flow, debt and hot segments in demand for 2025 and beyond.
WHITE LABEL MANAGEMENT
Growth in white label management continues to be a hot topic with third party management companies all seeing increased demand.
Watson Farley & Williams Head of Hotels & Hospitality Asia Pacific, Robert Williams, will lead a discussion with leaders from white label operators including, Capstone Hotel Management Managing Director Clare Davies; La Vie Hotels and Resorts CEO Jerry Xu; 1834 Hotels Director of Development, Scott Armstrong, Trilogy Hotels CEO Scott Boyes; and Panache Hotel Group CEO, Wilson Bao.
STELLAR NETWORKING
As is the case with every AHICE, networking is high on the agenda, with numerous breaks and evening events to connect over stellar food and beverages. On the evening of Wednesday May 7, delegates will enjoy local food, wine and spectacular entertainment at the AHICE 2025 Gala Reception, presented by the South Australian Tourism Commission.
New this year, is an AHICE ‘Apero’ hour with cocktails, keynotes and hot topics presented by Nespresso Professional on Day 1 and Cin Cin on Day 2. ahiceconference.com/asiapacific
