The seventh annual Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition (AHICE) is now expecting an even bigger record crowd of over 700 hoteliers, investors, owners, tourism leaders and suppliers during this year’s event at Grand Hyatt Melbourne on May 3 and 4.

Already, over 650 have registered to attend AHICE, which will feature over 60 speakers and which has the bipartisan support of Australia’s leading associations, hotel chains, super funds and suppliers, with the very last allocation of tickets now on sale.

At AHICE 2016, delegates will hear from the best and learn from the best as investment, management, innovation and information collide at the year’s most inspiring and educational hotel industry conference in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific.

Peter Crinis
Peter Crinis

Recently confirmed speakers include Crown Limited’s COO of Crown Hotels and Food & Beverage, Peter Crinis, who will discuss future developments for the company over the next 12 months including the soon-to-be completed Crown Towers Perth; and JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group’s Managing Director of Global Mergers and Acquisitions, Tony Ryan, who will be flying in from Singapore to analyse the current global mergers and their impact on the industry.

Once more, the Accommodation Association of Australia (AAoA), Tourism Accommodation Australia (TAA), the Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) and the Australian Federation of Travel Agents (AFTA) are all right behind the event, sending a combined 60 people to the event.

In what is a first for the industry, Australia’s two largest hospitality industry super funds, Hostplus and Intrust Super, are sponsoring the event on the highest possible level (Diamond sponsors), also highlighting the bipartisan support the event is achieving across the board.

All of Australasia’s major hotel chains are also firmly supporting AHICE, with AccorHotels and Quest Apartment Hotels onboard as Diamond supporters; with IHG as Platinum; Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac, Event Hospitality and Entertainment, Hyatt Hotels and Resorts, Mantra Group, Marriott International, Pan Pacific Hotels Group, TFE Hotels and Wyndham Asia Pacific as Gold; and Best Western, Hilton Worldwide, Lancemore Group, Outrigger Hotels and Resorts, SilverNeedle and Starwood Hotels and Resorts as Silver.

Attendees can also expect the year’s leading hotel industry exhibition, with stands from King Coil Commercial by AH Beard, Angliss International Hotel School, Comp Now, HBA, Intermarket, InterRisk, Jacobs Dowue Egberts (JDE), Jobactive, the Laundry Equipment Company, Oracle Hospitality, Optical Solutions Australia, RMS Hospitality Solutions, Serge Ferrari, Tapendium and Tivok, alongside a ‘mega-showcase’ from Yardley Hospitality.

Speakers and attendees are flying in from across the world for AHICE, including a number from Dubai, Phuket, Singapore, Auckland, London and Los Angeles.

To view the program and book some of the last remaining tickets, visit www.ahice.com.au this week to avoid missing out.

AHICE 2015

James Wilkinson

Editor-In-Chief, Hotel Management