Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani opens Hospitality Qatar 2015 yesterday. The event was attended by Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari.

Some 111 exhibitors from 12 countries are participating in this year’s Hospitality Qatar 2015 which was officially inaugurated yesterday by Qatar’s Minister of Economy and Commerce HE Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim bin Mohamed al-Thani at the Doha Exhibition Centre.
Qatar’s Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr Hamad bin Abdul Aziz al-Kuwari, senior government officials and diplomats attended the opening ceremony.
Licensed by Qatar Tourism Authority, the hospitality and Horeca (hotel, restaurant and catering) show in the country is taking place until October 15 from 3pm to 9pm.
Exhibitors from Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Egypt, China, Germany, India, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Romania and Lithuania are showcasing the latest in the Horeca and hospitality industry on more than 5,000sq m of exhibition space which promises to attract a footfall of 10,000 visitors.
“The hospitality sector is one of the main and fastest growing sectors in Qatar especially with the increase of local companies and investments in that sector,” Sheikh Ahmed bin Jassim said. “Qatar is also appearing as a major host and organiser of regional and international events, in particular with the upcoming 2022 FIFA World Cup.”
This year’s show features a ‘Business-to-Business (B2B) matchmaking platform where 14 top hotels in Qatar were hosted as buyers at the event.
The platform was open to trade visitors who registered and booked appointments with the exhibitors they wished to meet.
Hospitality Qatar 2015 project manager Rawad Sleem said the activities at the show such as the B2B matchmaking, Salon Culinaire, Mocktail competition and the certified training workshops attracted massive participation of local and regional professionals.
The exhibition started with the Salon Culinaire that brought together the country’s leading chefs to compete across fifteen categories while the mocktail competition offered an opportunity for Horeca bartenders to test their knowledge and skills and to compete against each other for the tastiest mocktail in Doha.
Co-organised by the Qatar Culinary Professionals (QCP) association and supervised by the World Association of Chefs Societies for Africa and the Middle East, the competition comprised of 10 regional and international judges.
“Our support for the competition reinforces our mission to provide chefs with the necessary tools to develop their career while creating a network of chefs from across multi-unit food service operations in the Middle East,” QCP president David Sosson said.
The group also conducted a seminar on sugar cooking and flowers making hosted by chef Gilles Refloch.
The first day of the exhibition also featured a certified safety training workshop conducted by Boecker, the Salon Culinaire and official hygiene sponsor.