The 12th edition of Hotel Investment Conference South Asia (HICSA) will be held at JW Marriott, Aerocity, New Delhi from April 4-5, 2016. In its second year after being relocated to New Delhi, the conference will bring together over 500 delegates from over 20 countries. In a conversation with Food & Hospitality World, Manav Thadani, chairman, HVS- Asia Pacific, shared, “This year we have brought in some notable speakers from various industry verticals to discuss the emerging issues. The first day would also see a session by N Chandrababu Naidu, chief minister, Government of Andhra Pradesh, as he invites investors to the state for the growth of tourism..This is the first time we have added a political note to the conference.”
Talking about the highlight of the event, Thadani added, “We have a owners session on day one that is not open to brands. This would help the owners get an interesting new outlook on the industry. We have re-introduced a session by women. It would discuss the gender gap in today’s hospitality business. Another powerful session to look forward to would be The Pulse of Indian Hotel Market; discussing whether to hold, sell or restructure a property. The second day discussions will also revolve around how the digital space is affecting hospitality with the emergence of online operators.”
HVS will also organise the Hotel Operations Summit India (HOSI) 2016 on April 4, at JW Marriott, Aerocity. HOSI is dedicated to add perspectives on effective operations and enhancing service standards in the industry. Thadani, informed, “ This year we have some new subjects like OTAs; discussed by Deep Kalra, chairman, group CEO, Makemytrip.com. Major people from the food space including investors and entrepreneurs will discuss their insights. Additionally, a session on asset management and digital media will be held to discuss the future prospects in the industry.
“We have high expectations this year as past one and a half year did not witness any major investment. This has been directly related to loss of funds, but I am not worried since the hotel occupancy has gone up. The changes brought in by the new government are effective in the long term and we hope it gives rise to tourism as well,” expressed Thadani.