A comprehensive program has been released for the inaugural Aotearoa Hotel Industry Conference & Exhibition (AHICE), hosted by HM magazine and Hotel Council Aotearoa, set to be held in Auckland next month.

The 2022 event – which is headline sponsored by Principal Partners Accor Hotels, Event Hospitality, Langham Hospitality Group and Scenic Hotel Group – will take place at Pullman Auckland on October 13, 2022, with site tours of the city’s newest hotels taking place on the afternoon prior (Oct 12), culminating with a special networking event hosted by Cordis Auckland.

The program features over 50 speakers, including New Zealand’s leading executives, alongside hoteliers from Australia and Hong Kong, that own and operate some of the nation’s most important properties.

The event has already seen over 300 people registered to attend AHICE Aotearoa, which will include evocative, educational and insightful keynote speakers, Q&As and panel sessions over the full day conference.

A limited number of tickets are currently on sale and are priced from NZ$425 and $350 for Hotel Council Aotearoa members.

AHICE Convenor and Chair, James Wilkinson, said the attendee and speaker numbers had already exceeded all expectations.

“I’m excited we have the support of the largest and leading hotel brands – both local and international alike – for our first ever AHICE Aotearoa conference,” he said.

“Our speaker line-up is world class and I’m looking forward to helping deliver a top shelf event for the New Zealand accommodation industry.”

CONFIRMED AHICE AOTEAROA SPEAKERS

The confirmed speakers to date include:

*ANGELA BIDDLE, Director, Scott Carver (Sydney)
*ANTHONY URSINO, General Counsel – APAC, Pro-invest Group (Sydney)
*ANTONY RITCH, Chief Executive Officer, TFE Hotels (Sydney)
*AWATERE DOUGLAS, Hotel Operations Manager, Sudima Rotorua
*BENJAMIN KRIEG, Vice President Operations Australia & New Zealand, FutureLog Oceania (Sydney)
*BRETT BUTCHER, Chief Executive Officer, Langham Hospitality Group (Hong Kong)
*CASPAR SCHMIDT, Chief Executive Officer, Motif Retreats (Sydney)
*CHAD JOHNSTON, General Manager, Rydges Wellington Airport
*CHRIS EHMANN, Cluster General Manager – Queenstown, Hilton
*CRAIG BINNEY, Head of People & Culture, Scenic Hotel Group
*DAVID ALLOTT, General Manager – Hospitality, SKYCITY Hotels
*DAVID MANSFIELD, Managing Director – Quest and Ascott Australia, The Ascott Limited (Melbourne)
*DEAN HUMPHRIES, National Director – Hotels, Colliers
*DORON WHAITE, General Manager, QT Auckland
*GAVIN FAULL, Chairman and President, Swiss-Belhotel International
*GILLIAN MILLAR, Senior Vice President Operations – New Zealand, Fiji & French Polynesia, Accor
*GRAHAM PERRY, Managing Director – Australasia, BWH Hotel Group (Sydney)
*JAMES DOOLAN, Strategic Director, Hotel Council Aotearoa
*JAMES SHIELDS, General Manager – Growth and Capital Strategy, The Ascott Limited (Melbourne)
*JAMES WILKINSON, Editor-In-Chief, HM magazine & Chair, AHICE (Sydney)
*JAN SMITS, CEO & Deputy Chair APAC, Pro-Invest Group (Sydney)
*KARL LUXON, Chief Executive Officer, Scenic Hotel Group
*KERRY WESTWOOD, Group GM People, Culture and Employee Experience, Event Hospitality & Entertainment (Sydney)
*KIMBERLEY DIXON, Editor, Hospitality Business).
*LANI HAGAMAN, Chair – Hotel Council Aotearoa and Executive Chair, Scenic Hotel Group
*LEANNE HARWOOD, SVP & Managing Director – JAPAC, IHG Hotels and Resorts
*LES MORGAN, Chief Operating Officer, Sudima Hotels
*LINDSAY LEESER, Senior Vice President Development & Franchise – Pacific, Accor (Sydney)
*LYNDA UGARTE, Head of HR – Japan, Australasia and Pacific, IHG Hotels and Resorts (Sydney)
*MARC HEDIGER, Group Director of Acquisitions & Development, Ovolo Hotels (Hong Kong)
*MARCUS REINDERS, Chief Executive Officer, NZ Hotel Holdings
*MARKUS AKLIN, Vice President Development – Asia-Pacific, Langham Hospitality Group (Hong Kong)
*MATT BURKE, Regional Director – Pacific, STR (Adelaide)
*MATT HOLMES, Vice President of Development – South-East Asia & Pacific Rim, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific (Gold Coast)
*MATT TRIPOLONE, Managing Director – Australasia and Pacific, IHG Hotels & Resorts (Sydney)
*NICKY STYRIS, SKY TV New Zealand
*NORMAN ARUNDEL, Director – Hotel Operations, Event Hospitality & Entertainment (Sydney)
*RAYMOND FAULKNER, Area General Manager, Sofitel Wellington
*RICHARD DALMAN, Managing Director, Dalman Architects of Space
*ROBERT WILLIAMS, Head of Hotels & Hospitality Asia Pacific, Watson Farley & Williams (Sydney)
*RODGER POWELL, Managing Director, Tourism and Hospitality Services AustralAsia (Sydney)
*RUTH HOGAN, Editor, HM magazine
*SARAH DERRY, Chief Executive Officer – Pacific, Accor
*SCOTT ARMSTRONG, Director, Development ‑ AUS/NZ, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac (Melbourne)
*SCOTT STYRIS, New Zealand cricketing legend
*SCOTT THOMSON, Cluster General Manager – Hilton Auckland, DoubleTree by Hilton Karaka and Hilton Lake Taupo, Hilton
*SIMON WHITE, General Manager – Hotel Operations New Zealand, Event Hospitality & Entertainment
*STEPHEN HAMILTON, Director, Horwath HTL New Zealand
*SUDESH JHUNJHNUWALA, Chief Executive Officer, Sudima Hotels
*TERRY NGAN, Asset Manager, CP Group New Zealand
*TIM ALPE, Managing Director, JUCY Snooze
*TRENT FRASER, Chief Executive Officer, Choice Hotels Asia-Pac (Melbourne)
*VEE KESSNER, Director, Space Studio

A full program is now available on the AHICE Aotearoa website (ahice.co.nz) and additional speakers will be added over the coming weeks.

The launch of AHICE in New Zealand follows the success of the recent Australasian Hotel Industry Conference and Exhibition held in Adelaide during May and attended by a record 1,200 delegates, making it the largest accommodation event in Asia-Pacific.

A limited number of sponsorships are still available and for more information, contact Tara Ducrou on tducrou@intermedia.com.au