• The hospitality world will come together virtually to discuss, reimagine and pave a new path towards the future, on 26-27 October at Future Hospitality Summit.
• The hybrid summit is organised by the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia and G20 Saudi Secretariat and is powered by Bench Digital.
• Register now at FutureHospitalitySummit.com to receive the latest updates and take part in the event.

Riyadh, KSA (23 September 2020): Future Hospitality Summit – this hybrid virtual conference is being developed to explore big ideas and tackle the challenges facing the hospitality industry – is set to take place live from Riyadh and around the world, on 26 and 27 of October. Organised by the Ministry of Tourism Saudi Arabia and G20 Saudi Secretariat, as part of The International Conferences Programme, honouring the G20 Saudi presidency year 2020, Future Hospitality Summit will be powered by Bench Digital.

The event, which promises to be one of the most impactful gatherings of the world’s hospitality community, will be delivered on Bench Digital’s tried-and-tested, cutting-edge, digital event platform – providing an immersive live experience, including a virtual exhibition, one-to-one video networking, and integrated chat features for all participants.

A comprehensive three-pillar programme has been developed in collaboration with industry creators, innovators and mentors, with particular focus on understanding the new landscape, collaborating and assessing opportunities, and innovating to recreate the industry’s future. Arne Sorenson (President & CEO, Marriott International), Arnold Donald (CEO, Carnival Corporation), Gloria Guevara (CEO & President, WTTC), Jerry Inzerillo (CEO, Diriyah Gate Development Authority), and Anita Mendiratta (Special Advisory to the Secretary General, UNWTO) are lined up as featured speakers, along with over 100 other esteemed speakers and thousands of attendees.

“As a country that is at the forefront of the tourism sector’s response and recovery plans through the G20 Presidency, Saudi Arabia is leading the conversation on the future of tourism and will provide an international platform to bring the industry together at the Future Hospitality Summit. Together, we will map out the rebuilding of the tourism and travel sector and strategically plan a sustainable future for stakeholders at every level,” says Mr. Mahmoud Abdulhadi, Deputy Minister for Investment at the Saudi Ministry of Tourism.

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman & Founder of Bench Digital, adds, “During this difficult time, it is vital that hospitality professionals across the globe come together as a community to work towards the recovery of our industry. Future Hospitality Summit will not only provide a powerful platform to network virtually, showcase best practice and demonstrate thought leadership, but it will also prove invaluable in ensuring that the industry emerges stronger as a whole from these unprecedented challenges.”

Future Hospitality Summit aims to gather the global industry for important conversations and create critical connections to build relationships, unity and actionable ways to support each other – to facilitate a stronger response for a stronger future. The event programme will dig deep into establishing the most effective ways to build a hospitality industry that is:

• Relevant for a post-pandemic world
• Attractive to tomorrow’s international traveller and consumer
• Supportive of entrepreneurs and innovation
• Sustainable for the global economy and the environment
• Attractive to tomorrow’s workforce.

Empowering tomorrow’s workforce and attracting talent into the hospitality sector – imperative factors in sustaining the industry – will be two of the key focus points of the hybrid summit. Developing a skilled workforce is paramount in order to quickly evolve and keep pace with the demand being created from the hospitality sector. In Saudi Arabia, for example, 253 new hotels are coming online by 2030. Consequently, Future Hospitality Summit is a forum to engage with the hospitality workforce of the future and promote the sector as an attractive career path.