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 22 January 2008
Dates confirmed for Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference 2008
Questex Media Group, Inc and The Bench join forces to host the 4th annual event
Following the success of the third Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference, The Bench and Questex Media Group, organisers of the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) and the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference (AHIC), have today announced the formation of a strategic partnership to host the conference on 21 – 22 October 2008. Attendance figures are expected to double in the first year alone, making it a must-attend event for stakeholders in Russia & CIS hotel investment, according to conference organiser, Jonathan Worsley.
“Russia and the CIS have enormous potential for hotel investors, developers, operators and consultants and we are very excited about the prospect of bringing together industry stakeholders to meet new investment partners and allowing them to explore the region through this conference. We plan to attract key figures and industry leaders from the region and beyond, to facilitate a conference that becomes the leading hotel investment conference in Russia and the CIS.” said Worsley.
Taking place at the newly-opened Ritz-Carlton, Moscow, the conference is already attracting much interest. It will be opened by HRH Prince Michael of Kent GCVO, who has agreed to be the Patron of this year’s conference. Through his strong ties to Russia, His Royal Highness travels extensively on business and has led numerous delegations of businessmen to Russia in recent years.
Dr Daniel Thorniley, Senior Vice President, Economist Group will be opening the conference as the keynote speaker and in a recent publication stated that “Russia is the best business secret in the world”. Other speakers confirmed include Ian Carter, CEO, Hilton International; Ed Fuller, President, Marriott Lodging International; Davor G. Gjivoje, Chairman, Networld, Inc.; Kurt Ritter, President & CEO, The Rezidor Hotel Group; Mark Wynne-Smith, CEO Europe, Middle East & Africa, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels; and Michael O’Hare, Managing Director, Horwath HTL Hungary & Russia. Worsley stated the primary objectives are to raise awareness of the new ventures and investment opportunities available in the region and to create a high-level networking forum.
The conference founder, Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels, previously co-hosted the event with Horwath HTL at the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski, Moscow. The third annual event was a resounding success with 200 senior level industry executives from 24 countries attending. Antony D'Avino, Executive Vice President, Questex Media Group added: "As the new organisers and hosts of the conference we are grateful to our Founder Sponsor for the groundwork and the assistance they have provided so far. We are delighted that both Jones Lang LaSalle Hotels and Horwath HTL, as platinum sponsors, will be very involved in the conference going forward, combining their strengths and market knowledge in assisting us with the 2008 programme."
For more information please visit www.russia-cisconference.com or contact:
Jonathan.Worsley@thebench.com +44 (0)1483 835794
Sally.Marwaha@thebench.com +44 (0)1244 341956
About The Bench | The Bench, a global partner with Smith Travel Research (STR), is a market leader in providing daily, weekly and monthly benchmarking data to more than 34,000 hotels worldwide. As the leading provider of online real-time benchmarking data, The Bench brings accurate hotel performance statistics to the market at an unparalleled speed. With the flexibility and ease of creating an unlimited number of competitive sets, configure reports at will in a multiple of formats and access all information on a 24 hour basis, The Bench users are able to maximise their RevPAR penetration by measuring their daily performance against their competitors. Smith Travel Research, the world’s largest and most respected supplier of market information to the hotel industry has joined forces with The Bench to provide a single source of accurate data on a global basis. Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of The Bench, is one of the organisers and founders of the International Hotel Investment Forum held each year in Berlin. In 2005, he was responsible for launching the successful Arabian Hotel Investment Conference. Worsley is a consultant to CBRE Hotels and sits as an advisor to the World Travel & Tourism Council, which represents many of the leading companies operating worldwide in the travel and tourism industry. www.thebench.com
About Questex Media Group, Inc | Questex Media Group, Inc. is a global, diversified business-to-business media organization serving multiple industries including hotel and hospitality, travel, technology, beauty, spa, among numerous other specialty industries with its well-established, market-leading publications, events, interactive media, research, and other marketing and media related services. The company's combined operations include more than 450 employees in offices throughout North America, South America, Asia and Europe. Strategically, Questex places a strong emphasis on serving the hotel and hospitality market and has created the Questex HotelWorld Network, which provides access and opportunity within all facets of the hotel and lodging industry across the globe. Questex's HotelWorld Network includes flagship publication Hotel & Motel Management magazine, published for nearly 132 years; Hotel Design magazine, celebrating the design excellence of hotels, resorts, lodges and destination spas; Luxury Hotelier, a print publication reaching the exclusive audience of four- and five-star hotel owners and operators; and The Hotel Times, a newly-launched publication focusing on international hotel investment and real estate. In addition to these leading publications, the Questex HotelWorld Network includes prominent events including the International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) held in Berlin, which is the leading meeting place for the European hotel investment community; HotelWorld Expo & Conference part of International Hospitality Week held in Las Vegas, which offers an international experience for hotel industry professionals and the industry's suppliers and manufacturers located throughout the world; and the HOTEC series of three-day forums held across the globe which consist of pre-scheduled appointments with numerous networking opportunities to do business and exchange ideas with the leaders who influence the future of the global hospitality industry. www.questex.com
Sally Marwaha
Phone: +44 (0)1244 341956
Email: Sally.Marwaha@thebench.com
 Bench Events
www.benchevents.com/
Guildford, GU1 2AN
United Kingdom
Phone: + 44 (0) 1483 835 794
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