RLA Global's think-tanks at the GIOHIS, Abu Dhabi

Dr. Richard von Kalmar, Advisory Board Member & Director of Hospitality Investments took part in the panel session titled “Africa – what hospitality product and brand works best for investors?”.  The topic touched upon the enormous opportunities in Africa's hospitality industry – on a continent that is often forgotten to consist of 53 countries! Richard’s discussion partners were James Stuart - Managing Director, Stuart & Associates; Andrew Linwood - Head of Hospitality, Areen Design;  Adeeb Premji - Director, TCMS and Al Karim Nathoo - Managing Director, 4C Hotel Group, providing a lively, informative conversation, elaborating on the diversities of the markets and their corresponding specific hospitality products.

Roger Allen, RLA Global CEO led a leisure investment themed round table with the title “Leisure 2.0 – can it pay back to investors?”. The discussion raised greater awareness of the wide variety of leisure products and their influence on hospitality developments: from leisure to recreation, from retail to F&B, from destination restaurants to co-working spaces. There is a changing landscape for investments into resort products and mixed-use developments and the urbanization of resort products.