Tuesday 29 September
Registration
Souk side entrance - Madinat Jumeirah Conference & Events Centre
Newcomers Session:
How to Navigate FHS & Maximise ROI
Speed Networking
Sponsored by
Welcome to FHS World 2026
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman
The Bench
Ali Shahid
Chief Executive Officer
The Bench
Richard Dean
Journalist and Broadcaster
Roar Design & Media
From Geopolitical Uncertainty to Tourism Confidence:
Reinventing the Growth Strategy
The Global Economy in Transition:
What Every Hospitality Investor Needs to Know
Beyond the Headlines:
Investing in a Changing Middle East
Amit Nayak
Vice President
Hospitality Asset Managers Association Middle East and Africa
Sajid Siddique
Senior Vice President - Head - Real Estate Structuring & Advisory
Mashreq Bank
Hamza Farooqui
Founder & CEO
Millat Group
Announcements & Signings
FHS Intelligence Talk:
Global Hotel Performance & Market Outlook
Philip Wooller
Senior Director
STR
From Data to Decisions:
Turning Hotel Performance into Investment Insight
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman
The Bench
Hala Matar Choufany
President
HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia
Lunch
The Future Isn’t Built, It’s Activated
Michael Cirino
Founder & Chief Experience Officer
House of Attention
European Institutional Capital:
Where Is It Deploying Next?
The CEO Roundtable:
A Global Hospitality Outlook
Philippe Zuber
Chief Executive Officer
Kerzner International Management
Barbara Muckermann
Group Chief Executive Officer
Kempinski Hotels
Artur Gerber
Chief Executive Officer
TUI BLUE Hotels & Resorts
Richard Dean
Journalist and Broadcaster
Roar Design & Media
Reading the Signals:
How Chinese Travel Trends Are Reshaping Global Hospitality Investment
Elaine Sun
Market Director - MEA & ROW Chain
Trip․com group
Government & Developers' Roundtable:
Aligning Vision to Deliver the Region's Hospitality Future
Mohammed Al Ahbabi
Director of Tourism Development Department
Ministry of Economy & Tourism, United Arab Emirates
China and the Next Wave of Global Hospitality Investment
Africa's Hospitality Investment Story:
Where Capital Finds Opportunity
Hamza Farooqui
Founder & CEO
Millat Group
Vision in Motion:
Leading Hospitality in a Changing Region
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman
The Bench
Marc Dardenne
Chief Executive Officer
Modon Holding Hospitality
Building the UAE's Next Lifestyle Destination:
Investing in the Future of Place
Investable Uganda:
The Policies, Partnerships and Capital Driving Hospitality Growth
Juliana Kagwa
Chief Executive Officer
Uganda Tourism Board
Robert Mukiza
Director General
Uganda Investment Authority
Jeanne Byamugisha
Chief Executive Officer
Uganda Hotel Owners Association
Optimism as Strategy:
How Resilient Leaders Navigate Uncertainty
Andre Wiringa
Founder & CEO
Start Reverse BV
Egypt:
The Next Big Bet? Navigating Opportunity, Capital & Risk
Hospitality REITs:
A New Investment Architecture for the Middle East
Rene Beil
Managing Director, Beaufort Global
HAMA President Middle East
David Xiaoou Chen
Chairman & CEO
Fields of Gold (F․O.G.) Capital & Asset Mgt Corp.
Networking Reception - Jumeirah Mina Al Salam
After a full first day of conference insights, discussions, and new ideas, unwind at the Welcome Reception at Jumeirah Mina Al Salam. This evening offers a relaxed opportunity to continue conversations from the day, connect with fellow attendees, and build new relationships in an informal setting.
Wednesday 30 September
Registration
Executive Investor Breakfast – A Closed-Door Gathering
Welcome Back
Richard Dean
Journalist and Broadcaster
Roar Design & Media
Announcements & Signings
Own Your Voice:
Leadership, Confidence and the Courage to Be Different
HAMA Global Presidents’ Outlook:
The State of Play for 2026
Amit Nayak
Vice President
Hospitality Asset Managers Association Middle East and Africa
Rene Beil
Managing Director, Beaufort Global
HAMA President Middle East
Theodor Kubak
Managing Partner
Arbireo Capital
Building Resilience Together:
Public Vision, Private Investment in GCC Tourism
Samer Alkharashi
Director
UN Tourism Regional Office for the Middle East
Building the Next Generation of Hospitality Innovators
Luis Nicolas Barrios
Regional Manager of Innovation, Education and Investments
UN Tourism
USALI 2026:
The Changes That Will Shape Owner–Operator Economics
Scott Antel
Founder & Owner
Scotts FZ LLE
Reset to Returns:
Recalibrating Hospitality Investment in a Changing GCC
Hamed Aljufairi
VP - Operations
Compass Project Consulting
Costas Livadaris
Hospitality & Leisure Lead - EMEA
Parsons
Investing in Innovation:
The Technologies Reshaping Travel, Tourism & Hospitality
Owners' Forum:
The Decisions That Make or Break Returns
The HMA Reset:
How Hotel Partnerships Are Being Rewritten
Hala Matar Choufany
President
HVS Middle East, Africa and South Asia
Startup Den
Skin in the Game:
The Future of Hospitality Operating Models
Klaus Assmann
Chief Executive Officer - Middle East, India & Southeast Asia
United Hospitality Management (UHM)
Jad Shamseddin
Chief Operating Officer
Aleph Hospitality
Jean-Baptiste Recher
Chief Development Officer Luxury Brands MEAT
Accor
Stefan Dubbeling
Managing Director Development EMEA
BWH Hotels
HAMA Workshop & Annual Briefing
Rene Beil
Managing Director, Beaufort Global
HAMA President Middle East
Amit Nayak
Vice President
Hospitality Asset Managers Association Middle East and Africa
From Pipeline to Partnership:
What Owners Really Need from Brands
Margarita Naishtut
Senior Vice President - Hotels & Hospitality MEA
JLL
Maya Ziade
Chief Development Officer, Premium, Midscale & Economy Division for Middle East, Africa and Türkiye
Accor
Awards Ceremony
Lunch
The Anchor Asset:
Why Hotels Matter in Mixed-Use
Eddy Tannous
Chief Operating Officer
Rotana Hotel Management Corporation PJSC
Selim El Zein
Vice President - Head of Asset Management & Investments
Deyaar Development PJSC
Amir Ali Golbarg
Chief Operating Officer - Middle East & Africa
Minor Hotel Group
Announcements & Signings
Board Leverage:
Extracting Value when Operators own your Economics
Giuliano Gasparini, FRICS, CRE, HAMA, IoH, CHIA
Head of Hospitality Asset Management
Wasl
Technology for Humanity:
Using AI to Put People Back at the Heart of Hospitality
Fasie Malherbe
Chief Executive Officer
Smart Operator
Culture Creates Value:
How Leadership and Engagement Drive ROI, Brand Strength and Asset Performance
Carlos Diez de la Lastra
Chief Executive Officer
Les Roches Global Hospitality Education
David Keen
Founder & CEO
QUO
You Can’t Lead on Empty:
The Human Side of High Performance
David Singleton
Founder and CEO
Oraculi
Living Longer, Living Better:
Why Longevity is the Ultimate Luxury
Chris Sanderson
Co-Founder & Chief Creative Officer
The Future Laboratory
Contract Structures Masterclass:
Management vs Franchise vs Lease
Rebuilding Travel Demand:
How AI, Digital Marketing and the Open Internet Are Powering Tourism Recovery
TenX Leadership Talk:
Building Health, Not Just Hotels
Sonu Shivdasani
CEO and Founder
Sosei
Richard Dean
Journalist and Broadcaster
Roar Design & Media
Profit Without Volume:
Winning the Revenue Game in a Demand Shock
Judith Cartwright
CEO & Founder
Black Coral Consulting
From Clinic to Community:
Translating Longevity Science into Real Estate, Hospitality and Scalable Living Models
Kathryn Moore
Founder and Managing Director
Spa Connectors and co-op
Amit Arora
Chief Operating Officer
Arada Hospitality and Entertainment
Short-Term Rentals in Dubai:
Innovation, Regulation or Community Crisis?
From Wellness to Living:
Building the Middle East’s Next Generation of Healthy Communities
Kathryn Moore
Founder and Managing Director
Spa Connectors and co-op
Gary Greene
Principal
GGD
AI ROI vs AI Hype:
The Verdict
Nature as an Asset Class:
Building Sustainable Capital Through Regenerative Tourism
Santiago Yñigo
Co-Founder & CEO
SALVA
David Vely
Vice President - Development
Club Med
Wesam Okasha
Head of Global Development
TUI BLUE Hotels & Resorts
The Retrofit Gap:
Where is Asset Value being lost in Existing Portfolios — and who's responsible for closing it? (Closed Door Workshop)
Who Owns the Guest? Data, Distribution & the Battle for Direct Relationships
Reception
Thursday 01 October
Speed Networking
Sponsored by
The New Hospitality Map:
Defining the Hospitality Asset Classes
Adeline Phua
Managing Director, Lyf, & Vice President of Business Development
The Ascott Limited
Michael Aldridge
Founder & CEO
KOFISI
Beyond the Hotel:
How Lifestyle Brands Are Redefining Hospitality Through Living, Mobility and New Asset Classes
Gilda Perez-Alvarado
Chief Executive Officer, Orient Express
Group Chief Strategy Officer, Accor
Welcome to Restaurant Investment Trends Transforming Hotels
James Hacon
Founding Partner
Think Hospitality
Food as Placemaking:
Designing Destinations People Want to Visit
The Rise of Hospitality-Driven Workspaces:
Why the Best Offices Now Feel Like Hotels
Michael Aldridge
Founder & CEO
KOFISI
The Truth about Hotel F&B:
Why it's Not Performing as Well as it Should
Global Capital Outlook:
The Investment Shift Towards Living Assets
What’s on the Menu? Food Security in an Age of Disruption
The New Living Economy:
Investing Beyond Traditional Hotels
Educating Tomorrow's Hospitality Leaders:
Rethinking Tourism Education for a Changing World
Georgette Davey
Managing Director
Abu Dhabi Hospitality Academy - Les Roches
Automotive-Led Urban Destinations:
Reinventing the Luxury Mixed-Use Playbook
The Hospitality Effect:
Transforming Residential into Lifestyle Destinations
Sameh Muhtadi
Chief Executive Officer
RAK Properties
Lunch
Welcome to Branded Residences Forum
Jonathan Worsley
Chairman
The Bench
Pathways for Future Leaders:
Insights from Hospitality's Best
The State of the Global Branded Residences Market
Jeff Tisdall
Chief Business Officer, Global Head of Mixed-Use
Accor One Living
Branded Residences Uncovered:
Global Performance Review & Insights
Riyan Itani
Founder
Global Branded Residences Ltd.
The Next Chapter:
Can Dubai Sustain Its Branded Residence Momentum?
Terms, Tensions & Trade-Offs:
Getting the Branded Residence Deal Done
Inside the Buyer’s Mind:
What Really Sells Branded Residences
Beyond the Handover:
How Smart Technology Protects and Enhances Branded Residence Value
Rahul Salgia
Founder & CEO
DigiValet
From Concept to Exit:
The Branded Residence Playbook
Hospitality Brands, Fashion Houses & Automakers:
Does the Brand Matter as Much as the Business Model?
Riyan Itani
Founder
Global Branded Residences Ltd.
FHS World 2026:
What We Built, What We Learned, What Comes Next
Ali Shahid
Chief Executive Officer
The Bench