The first edition of ‘Restaurants Cafés & Lounges’ Conference and Exhibition will be held on October 7 and 8 2019, at Roda Al Bustan Hotel.

The event is organized by Great Minds Event Management. It aims at  gathering a selected group of F&B and hospitality experts, to discuss improving efficiency and delivering an improved holistic experience to cater to the rapidly changing consumer behavior in the F&B sector. It also aims at helping restaurants, cafés, and lounge owners and F&B stakeholders to discover the latest strategies that can drive innovation across all business functions.

Leila Masinaei, managing partner of Great Minds Event Management said: “We are organizing Restaurants Cafés & Lounges to bring together all the stakeholders who are involved in creating business models from menu selections, growth strategies, location mapping, to technology implementation, from across the Middle East & North Africa”.  

According to her, the previous years saw the F&B sector struggling to catch up with the rapidly changing consumer trends, behavior and habits. Technology is also disrupting the market greatly. The economy’s effect on consumer’s spending patterns have made many previously successful businesses obsolete, losing their business and customers to raising competition. “We saw the necessity to invite top experts and stakeholders to brainstorm new strategies to cope with the ever-changing consumer behavior and maximize the gains from technological advancements”, Masinaei added. 

More than 250 attendees from 25 countries, mostly business owners, operation heads, chefs and experts in the F&B industry and hospitality sector will discuss the latest consumer trends, and growth strategies in the MENA market. They will also share their experiences and ideas during 10 hours of networking sessions, while enjoying the chance of meeting 40 exhibitors, showcasing the latest technology trends and new innovative products.

Restaurants, Cafés, & Lounges will honor five industry leaders with five awards, and the event will include a Chef Contest, in addition to 3 workshops, plus a Cocktail Zero Live demo bar: a concept in which ICCA Dubai in partnership with Alembic will showcase a whole range of non-alcoholic innovative drinks.

The event’s activities will include onstage celebrity chef interviews with Chef Thomas A. Gugler, President, World Association of Chef’ Societies, and Chef Manal Al Alem “The Queen of Arabian Kitchen”, in addition to Workshops and Emerging brands spotlight sessions.