H.E. SHEIKH AHMED BIN JASSIM AL THANI, OFFICIALLY INAUGURATES HOSPITALITY QATAR 2015

Hospitality Qatar 2015, the sole 360° hospitality and HORECA show in Qatar, was officially inaugurated by His Excellency Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim Al Thani, the Minister of Economy and Commerce, during an opening ceremony held yesterday at the Doha Exhibition Centre (DEC). The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Hamad Bin Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage, in addition to a number of senior officials, decision-makers and high-profile diplomatic figures. The ceremony also featured an exclusive tour of the exhibition space. 

The exhibition, licensed by the Qatar Tourism Authority, is held under the patronage of H.E. the Minister of Economy and Commerce. It hosts 111 exhibitors from 12 countries–China, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Romania and Lithuania–who showcase the latest in the HORECA and hospitality industry over 5,000 sqm of exhibition space which promises to attract a footfall of 10,000 visitors. 

Commenting on the hospitality sector in Qatar, H.E Sheikh Ahmed Bin Jassim Al Thani, the Minister of Economy and Commerce said: “The hospitality sector is one of the main and fastest growing sectors in Qatar, especially with the increase of local companies and investments in that sector. Qatar is also appearing as a major host and organizer of regional and international events, in particular with the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup”.  

Rawad Sleem, Project Manager of the show, noted: “Hospitality Qatar is expected to have a great turnover, especially that trade visitors started flowing as soon as the exhibition opened its doors. Also, the activities of the show, including the B2B matchmaking, the Salon Culinaire, the Mocktail competition and the certified training workshops, have featured the massive participation of local and regional professionals. We are expecting and even larger audience through the two coming days.” 

The exhibition got off to a fine start with the Salon Culinaire that was launched early morning and ran until late in the evening. A show-stopper at Hospitality Qatar 2015, the Salon Culinaire brings together the country’s leading chefs to compete across fifteen categories. Salon Culinaire is co-organized by the Qatar Culinary Professionals association (QCP), and supervised by the World Association of Chefs Societies for Africa & the Middle East (WACS). The competition is judged by 10 regional and international judges. 

“QCP is very proud to join hands with IFP for the 1st approved World Chef Salon Culinaire competition in Qatar, hosted as part of Hospitality Qatar 2015. Our support for the competition reinforces our mission to provide chefs with the necessary tools to develop their career while creating a network of chefs from across multi-unit foodservice operations in the Middle East,” said David Sosson, QCP President.

A main feature of this year’s show is the Business-to-Business matchmaking platform, as part of which 14 top hotels in Qatar were hosted as buyers at Hospitality Qatar 2015, with over 320 meetings held with a wide variety of exhibitors. The B2B platform was open for trade visitors, who were able to register and book appointments with the exhibitors they wished to meet.

The first day also included a certified safety training workshop conducted by Boecker, the Salon Culinaire and Official Hygiene Sponsor, entitled “Induction to HACCP”.

In addition, the first day of the exhibition featured the highly anticipated Mocktail competition, which offers an opportunity for HORECA bartenders to test their knowledge and skills and to compete against each other for the tastiest mocktail in Doha. The first day of this activity attracted a large audience that came to witness the amazing skills of Doha’s most talented bartenders. 

On the sidelines of the exhibition, the Qatar Culinary Professionals association held a seminar that was conducted by Chef Gilles Refloch. The seminar included the following topics: the sugar & flower theme: Technics, Sugar cooking and Flowers making.

Hospitality Qatar 2015 is taking place until Thursday 15 October, from 3:00 PM to 9:00 PM daily.