Between September 24 and 25, Medellín will host SAHIC South America , the most important investment promotion event for the tourism and hotel industry. Entrepreneurs, executives and investors from more than 20 countries will meet at the InterContinental Hotel to explore new business opportunities and generate links which contribute to the development and growth of the sector.
The event has a high-quality content agenda for the attendees which is focused on specializing and deepening in trend issues for the tourism industry. Discussions, talks, round tables, conferences and work sessions on topics such as sustainability, renewable energy and innovation, are some activities that will be carried out.
Precisely, one of the panels that will take place at SAHIC South America 2018, will feature the participation of renowned hotel industry leaders such as Laurent de Housemaker, executive vice president of development at Marriott International for Latin America and the Caribbean; Patrick Mendes, CEO of Accor hotels South America and Ted Middleton, senior vice president of development for Latin America at Hilton Worldwide. The activity will be moderated by Peter Greenberg, travel editor for CBS News.
Laurent de Kousemaeker
He is executive vice president of development for Marriott International Inc. for Latin America and the Caribbean region. He has 20 years of experience in the hotel industry in the areas such as marketing, finance, valuation, transactions and development. Kousemaeker is responsible for leading the company’s growth in the region, encompassing 12 hotel brands: Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Edition, Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance Hotels, AC Hotels, Marriot Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn and Marriott Executive Apartments.
In the past Kousemaeker, has been senior vice president of Marriott International for the same region, with offices in Bethesda, Maryland and vice president of development for Spain and Portugal, based in Madrid. Also, he was general manager of HVS International in Madrid and director of the HVS International office in London.
Patrick Mendes
Mendes has an extensive experience in tourism and hotel business. He began in Bordeaux, at the Ecole Hotelier de Bordeaux-Talence. He holds an MBA in Management and Marketing from IAE Aix-en-Provence
He worked as a consultant for the development of tourism in France and southern Europe and in 1994 he began to provide services at Edenred based in Paris. There, Mendes used managed the sales and marketing team worked on the development of new products. In the same company, he spent two years in charge of operations for the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.
In 2000, Mendes moved to Lisbon to collaborate with the management of Edenred and in 2004 he joined the Global Accor hotels organization as senior vice president of global sales and distribution. In addition, he has led an international team in charge of global accounts, the definition of marketing strategy, sales and distribution.
Mendes has overseen Global Accor hotels operations in several countries of Europe, North America, Nordic markets and the development of Asia, the Middle East and South America.
In 2011 he assumed the management of the more than 80 four and five-star hotels of the organization in Latin America. In 2013, Medes was appointed director of operations for all luxury, exclusive and standard brands in South America, based in Sao Paulo. In July 2015, he assumed the position of CEO of Accor hotels South America, leading 327 hotels in operation and 200 in project; totaling the management of 15,000 employees.
Ted Middleton
He was appointed senior vice president of Hilton Worldwide in 1996. He oversees overseeing the development of Hilton’s group of managed and franchised brands in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Before joining Hilton, he served as senior vice president of acquisitions and finance for Host Marriott Corporation, where he successfully conducted numerous hotel financing, acquisitions and sales operations. He also leaded the construction and completion of three hotels.
Middleton began working for Marriott Corporation in 1986 as director of feasibility studies and market planning. Then, he served as regional vice president of development for Residence Inns, where he oversaw regional offices in charge of the development of Residence Inn in the western United States.
Middleton holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from LeMoyne College and a master’s degree in hotel management from Cornell University.
Peter Greenberg
On multiple occasions, he has been an Emmy Award winner for his work as a producer and investigative reporter. Greenberg is one of the most prominent and respected journalists in the travel and tourism sector. He is known in the industry as “The travel detective.” He is a travel editor for CBS News and participates in programs such as CBS This Morning, CBS Evening News with Scott Pelley and Sunday Morning. He has been a presenter on several T.V. shows, including the acclaimed series of travel specials Royal Tour. He has extensive experience as a journalist in the travel and tourism industry.
Check here the speakers list for SAHIC South America 2018 agenda and their biographies.
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