The regional hospitality industry has $6 billion worth of projects still to be completed by 2013, said the organisers of an upcoming supplies exhibition to the region’s hospitality sector.

The Hotel Show 2011, which has already sold 90 per cent of exhibition space, will take place from May 17 to 19 at Dubai World Trade Centre.

“We have 25 exhibiting countries registered this year representing over 45 per cent of the net floor space. The largest pavilion is Germany with over 600 sq m accommodating 29 exhibitors. The Turkish participation is a close second with over 540 sq m,” said Frederique Maurell, exhibition director at The Hotel Show.

“Then France, Belgium, Spain, Italy and the UK are also prominent, covering a combined 1300 sq m,” she added.

“Cyprus has confirmed over 300 sq m, Greece has doubled its presence from last year and the Asian presence is hardly subdued booking a total of 1000 sq m of space between Thailand, China, Singapore and Malaysia,” added Maurell.

The increased demand has led organiser dmg::events to introduce a number of new vertical sub-sectors for its twelfth edition, including light catering equipment, green energy supplies, fit out and front of house reservation systems.

“We have now sold 19,800 sq m which represents 90 per cent of the total exhibition space available. Based on the level of demand we have experienced so far, we expect the show to completely sell-out over the next eight weeks, which will be an impressive 20 per cent year-on-year growth,” said Maurell.

“To maintain this surge in demand it is important to embrace emerging market needs and technological advances in the same way hotels and resorts evolve to meet the changing demands of guests.”

The Hotel Show, will also be housing a number of new subsectors, including green energy supplies, front of house reservation systems and light catering equipment.

“Boncafe and Coffema have confirmed their stands within this vibrant sub sector,” said Maurell.

The Hotel Innovation Trends and Technology (HITT) conference which has the support of the Dubai Government’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) will run in parallel with the exhibition.

“Industry experts representing major international chains and groups such as Hilton, Starwood, MGM, Rezidor, Accor and Wyndham will be examining the latest trends and addressing current industry issues,” said Maurell. – TradeArabia News Service