Dubai, UAE- The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International (HSMAI) Middle East and Africa (MEA) has successfully wrapped up its 8th annual Commercial Strategy Conference in Dubai.
The event brought together the region’s hospitality sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution community for two action-packed days of industry insights, networking, and awards.
83 speakers took the stage across 55 different sessions featuring nine different formats from keynotes and panel discussions to masterclasses and fireside chats. This year saw a 15 percent increase in attendance from the region’s experts in hospitality sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution, with 21 percent of attendees coming from outside the UAE.
The event kicked off with an inspiring keynote by globally recognised keynote speaker, entrepreneur, and bestselling author, Nick Santonastasso, who transforms adversity into a framework for leadership, innovation, and growth.
Celebrating the bold disruptors and pioneers, the annual ROCKSTAR Awards featured on-stage pitches from the nine shortlisted nominees who have pushed boundaries and set new standards of excellence in the hospitality industry. The audience voted for the top three winners which were Kuda Mukonoweshuro, Director of Sales, Radisson Hotel Dubai Damac Hills, Nawfal Mbamba, Director of Marketing and Communications, Al Baleed Resort Salalah by Anantara, and Hassan Khan, Revenue Analyst, Radisson Hotel & Apartments Dammam Industrial City. The three winners received prizes sponsored by Wego, HSMAI, Les Roches and Glion Hospitality & Business Education. All shortlisted nominees received a copy of the book by bestselling author and Founder & CEO of Digital and Savvy, Maha Abouelenein, titled ‘Rules of Self-reliance,’ which were signed by her onsite after her keynote speech on the powers of connected storytelling, a signed copy of Mimi Nicklen’s book ‘Empathy at Work’, and a copy of ‘The AI Literacy Playbook for Hoteliers’ by Michael J. Goldrich.
A wide range of topics were discussed on stage from artificial intelligence, consumer trends and loyalty strategies to the hidden metrics that drive profitability beyond RevPar, driving growth through data-led strategies and SEO to GEO as a new era for marketing.
Mona Faraj, President, HSMAI MEA said: “We have had an incredible two days of knowledge sharing, networking, discussions and debates, tackling some of the most pressing topics in hospitality sales, marketing, revenue management and distribution. This conference, developed by the industry for the industry, is not possible without the support from our amazing partners, sponsors, volunteers, advisory board members and our highly engaged audience members. This community is like a family, and we can’t wait for another action-packed year of events, courses and social gatherings in 2026.”
