Senior executives of leading hotel chains, purchasing companies and interior and architectural design from across Europe gathered at the Anantara Vilamoura Algarve Resort in Portugal over the last week of October for the Hotec Europe conference. Over two days, the executives met face-to-face and one-on-one with key leading domestic and international suppliers representing products and services.
In total, 48 buyers and 79 suppliers representing 50 supplier companies participated in more than 900 individually scheduled meetings during the conference.
Hotec is sponsored by Questex Hospitality, the parent company of Hotel Management. It is part of the Hotec line of conferences, which includes Hotec Design, Hotec Operations and the upcoming virtual Hotec F&B, scheduled for this coming December.
Mary Malloy, Questex’s new global event director for Hotec events, was a new face at the event. Malloy has served as the event director for Hotec’s North America events for the past 10 years. As she takes on Hotec’s European portfolio, she is looking to build on the brand that Hotec has solidified in the market and add new networking opportunities, education and offsite excursions.
“I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to connect with our Hotec EMEA community in person,” Malloy said after the conference. “The past 18 months has been a very challenging time for the hospitality industry, and it was clear onsite at the event just how much our buyers, designers and suppliers missed face-to-face meetings and networking. We are very excited this year to have also had a few of our North American suppliers join us in Portugal to take advantage of Hotec’s global offerings.”
New to this year’s event was a joint welcome reception with the Resort & Residential Hospitality Forum at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Hotel. Hotec delegates were able to network and make connections with senior-level investors, developers, master planners and architects all focused on the leisure segment.
Thomas Emanuel, director at STR, delivered the keynote address, "Resilience in the Numbers: A Deep Dive into Europe's Hotel Pipeline," examining the recent dynamics of the global hotel industry. The talk also examined the future and changes in the development pipeline, along with development hot spots across the region.
“It was great to meet Mary Malloy and the team who did an outstanding job after 18 months of isolation,” said Brian Brennan, projects director—building & interior design at Red Carnation Hotels and Uniworld River Cruises. “It was so good to be back together with industry professionals, some old dear friends and the new ones I made over these three days. A lot of very clever talented companies to meet and select for future collaborations plus, fun in the evenings socializing together, the farewell dinner was amazing!”
The next Hotec Europe will be held Oct. 18-21, 2022, at the Tivoli Marina Vilamoura Hotel, again in Portugal. Those interested in becoming a supplier at a future Hotec event can reach out to Mary Malloy. Those interested in being considered for a hosted buyer position can reach out to Maritsa Samonas, delegate relations specialist, hospitality. Learn more about the event at HotecEU.com.