Great Minds Public Relations   PR Partner https://www.greatmindscomms.com/public-relations

Great Minds Public Relations helps organizations, companies & individuals communicate with the public, potential clients, targeted consumers, future partners, to government decision-makers, through different media channels.
Empathy and respect are the cornerstones of understanding and necessary to create conversations, eventually, they will lead to engagement.

IN GMPR we believe that to create an immensely deep impact, we build our campaigns on 3 pillars, creative content, because in a content-saturated world, where everyone is trying to grab attention, we produce and distribute outcome-focused content in a variety of formats that matches the consumption behaviours of the audiences we need to influence.

Second, strong media relations and unparalleled insight into the ever-shifting media landscape and the relationships necessary to generate high-quality coverage and visibility for the stories our clients want to tell.
Third, developing integrated media strategies to optimize the impact of a great story or campaign, we depend on the production of an artful blend of new and traditional media distributed across owned, earned and paid channels to reach audiences in the right place at the right time.

At the young age of 37, Ammar Al-Ekili, has already established a strong name for himself in the restaurants, hotels and hospitality industry.
Growing up around food and in a kitchen is where his passion for cooking started. Ammar was exposed to food and cooking in a professional way since living in Syria.
After completing his Degree in Hotels Management, he enrolled at Rotana Hotels. From day one he completely fell in love with the mystery world of culinary and cooking.
Since then, his career has taken off with a bang. He competed in and won the Gold medal for Emirate cuisine, Gold medal for new Arabic cuisine at Emirates salon culinary 2006, and Silver medal at Middle East junior chef of the year, as well as countless others awards.
Ammar worked in many top Hotels and Restaurants in the country like Dynamic Hospitality Group, Movenpick Hotel, VIDA Hotel by EMAAR, and many restaurants chain with different Group. In 2017 Ammar joined Dynamic Hospitality as the Corporate Executive Chef for Hotels, Restaurants and Catering Operation, looking after total of 12 different restaurants and hotels.
Chef Ammar was chosen to be one of 250 chefs around the word who attend the World chefs tour against hunger which took place in South Africa 2011, where he displayed his talent in live cooking, presenting multi cuisine in different hotels and malls in Johannesburg and east London.
Ammar is hosting several culinary TV shows in Abu Dhabi TV- Sabah Aldar live show, and weekly Ramadan Tonight show at Sky News Arabia TV, where has gained enormous popularity for his unique culinary skills and craftsmanship
Ammar is proud being a Senior Member of Chaine De France Association, Emirates Culinary Guild and Syrian Culinary Guild
Ending off, Ammar comments, “When it comes to food, I believe that flavour comes first! Food needs to be immediately delicious and inviting, not overthought, overworked or overcomplicated. Flavour is paramount and key in making great food and also running a great kitchen. Making it look pretty is where we get to have a bit of fun as a chef, and yes we eat with our eyes first, but ultimately flavour is what makes the guests come back.”

EME outlook Media PartnerMedia

EME Outlook is a digital and print product aimed at boardroom and hands-on decision-makers across a wide range of industries in the region.

With content compiled by our experienced production team ensuring delivery to the highest standards, we look to promote the latest in engaging news, industry trends and success stories from the length and breadth of both Europe and the Middle East.

The magazine is owned and published by Outlook Publishing, who also produce global business titles, Asia Outlook and Africa Outlook, providing a superb platform for advertisers and media partners to showcase your services and place you in the hands of the continent’s most influential people.

PREMIER HOSPITALITY   Media PartnerMedia premierconstructionnews.com

Published monthly by Roma Publications, Premier Hospitality is a subscription-based publication, showcasing all the best hospitality projects throughout the UK and abroad. From Michelin star restaurants and innovative bars to prestigious clubs, 5*hotels and more, Premier Hospitality has it covered, with interviews from many of the industry`s biggest names, including leading interior design practices, architects, chefs and hoteliers.

Launched in October 2012, Premier Hospitality is a full-colour, 100+ page, glossy magazine, which is available in both print and digital formats. Premier Hospitality is packed with features, news and beautiful imagery and has previously included features such as Manchester House, Celtic Manor, Hotel Chocolate and Yo! Sushi, to name but a few.

For more information about Premier Hospitality or sister publications Premier Retail, Premier Construction and Rail Construction News, please visit: premierconstructionnews.com

Travel and Tour World   Media PartnerMedia travelandtourworld.com

Travel And Tour World proudly promotes more than 100 international travel trade events as media partner including WTM London and ITB Berlin and China, AIME , Arabian Travel Market, Imex Events and many more.

The magazine is distributed in the travel trade shows to the decision makers of the global travel industry. While engaging more than 250,000 readers along with easy accessibility from iOS and Android devices, we offer cost-effective advertising options for global branding.

Our niche readers include global travel and tourism industry leaders and professionals including Tourism Board Officials, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Destination Management Companies (DMCs), MICE Planners, Aviation professionals, Hospitality leaders and more.

Food & Beverage Networker   Media PartnerMedia   fandbnetworker.com

Spanning the entire value chain of the flourishing food and beverage industry, our dedicated publication covers everything from raw materials to processing, packaging and retail. With decades of expertise covering industry at the sharp end across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas, our specialist magazine – ‘Food & Beverage Networker’ – leverages on such knowledge to collate the very best insight from across the sector. The magazine’s core readership is key decision-makers and senior executives from leading companies operating within each of the major F&B supply chain segments.

Providing fresh insight for a new industrial era, we provide on-point comment, engaging reports and relevant analysis of today’s foremost developments across the food & beverage space, encompassing the emerging trends in trade, market challenges, environmental issues and technological innovations that are informing the operations of today’s F&B industrials..

A CEO, Writer, Public Speaker, Lecturer
Martin Kubler is a hotel GM turned business consultant with 20+ years executive-level management experience in Europe and the Middle East. In the past, Martin held senior management roles in internationally flagged as well as independently owned and operated hotels in Europe and the Middle East and worked for operators such as Accor, Wyndham, and Thistle.
In May 2011, Martin founded Iconsulthotels, a boutique hospitality, leisure, and tourism consulting firm based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which quickly gathered local and regional acclaim. In 2016 Iconsulthotels acquired sps:affinity – Strategic Partnership Solutions and rebranded as sps:hotels, part of sps:affinity.
Martin knows people and how to communicate with them, but he also knows how to make organisations work and extract the best profits for their many stakeholders.
Martin holds an MBA in Marketing, and Innovation from Glion Institute of Higher Education, and is highly creative, passionate about communication, new media and the interactive world. He is interested in many things and understands an eclectic mix of business, science, and art.
Martin is also a sought-after professional speaker with recent appearances at The Hotel Show Africa (Johannesburg, June 2018) and The Restaurant Show 2018 (Dubai, February 2018) and past appearances in Muscat, Oman, Las Vegas, USA, and London, UK.

Tony envisioned the good that real experience can have. He understood intuitively that real experience has the power to do more than create memories – it can create positive change in ourselves, and then in turn, in the world.
After having received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business from the American University of Beirut in 2000, Tony immediately ventured into the world of hospitality, creating and managing some of the best successful concepts which marked the grand debut of Lebanese nightlife.
His entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit led him to where he is today, managing a portfolio of twenty of the most prominent venues and successful brands of clubs, bars, restaurants and beaches in the MENA region and abroad.

Samer currently heads CE-Creates, a Crescent Enterprises platform that endeavours to create and develop innovative businesses that generate a sustainable social impact and address economic, social, and environmental challenges. This is driven by the strong belief that such a triple bottom line approach to doing business is the most effective way to generate shared value for all stakeholders.
In 2017, Samer led the conceptualization and launch of Kava & Chai, a home-grown specialty coffee and tea chain that is rooted in Arab hospitality, welcoming and embracing cultural diversity through food and art. Kava & Chai has grown to six locations in a year and a half and is eyeing international markets in 2019.
Samer comes from an entrepreneurial background with more than 20 years of experience in the start-up space across a variety of industries, from entertainment to F&B, e-commerce, media, and healthcare in Canada, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Singapore. Prior to joining Crescent Enterprises in 2014, Samer was the COO of Groupon Middle-East where he was instrumental in building the company to its current leading market position.
Samer is a member of several start-up communities and organizations and provides mentorship on a personal level as well as through business competitions, universities, and other organizations such as the Khalifa Fund. He also sits on the investment committee of Dubai Angel Investors.

Michelin-Experienced Service Industries Consultant, Public Speaker, Trainer & Coach
Peggy Li is a Michelin Star experienced F&B professional turned service industries consultant with 15+ years executive-level, project management, and pre-opening management experience in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
Peggy has worked for world-renowned establishments and brands such as L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Aubaine, and Punch Bowl Pub in London, Shanghai, Bangkok, and many other locations.
Peggy joined sps:affinity – Strategic Partnership Solutions as a Managing Partner in 2018 and specialises in supporting F&B and non-F&B brands looking to expand into new markets, especially China, or to attract new audiences. She is an expert problem solver with and highly goal orientated. She is equally at home working with and mentoring start-ups as she is managing multi Million USD turnover operations.
Peggy is an active member of the Dubai Business Council and the UAE Chinese Business Women Council as well as several networking organizations and associations working towards elevating and empowering female entrepreneurs.
Peggy is also a start-up mentor and adviser at WOMENA, In5 Tech Incubator & Accelerator and SHERAA. She has mentored entrepreneurs behind concepts such as mathaqi.com and halakiwi.com.

Fadi Ghaly is the Co-founder of UNDER500, a healthy eatery concept that offers a wide selection of delicious, wholesome and healthy meal and dessert options under 500 calories.
Fadi’s passion of heath and love of food, inspired him to establish UNDER500, Fadi saw an opportunity in the market and wanted to develop a food concept that focused on nutrient based, tasty meals, which are low in calorie and taste delicious all prepared freshly daily. With a vision to redefine the F&B industry and contribute to a healthier Dubai.
Fadi started his career in 2008 in the branding and graphic design industry. His strategic vision and commitment to innovation, business development and corporate change, has led him to several market achievements.
Prior to founding UNDER500, Fadi opened a Dubai-based branding Agency Eyedea in 2012. Through innovation, passion, focus and execution, Fadi has develop the agency to a high level branding company that it is today, developing and creating business opportunities across the Middle East region.

Courtney Brandt is an American author living in Dubai.  In addition to contributing to her food and hospitality blog, A to Za’atar, Courtney is a host on the television show What’s Cooking, UAE.  She is also a Zomato Ambassador, member of the Association of Food Bloggers, and a regular contributor to Dubai Eye 103.8.
In addition to her ten novels, Courtney has been published with the following outlets: Curiosity Magazine, Elite Daily, Touring Bird, The Forward Feed, Wine & Style magazine, A Luxury Travel Blog, Matador Network, JustLuxe, Travelettes, Citizen Femme, Khaleej Times, Roads & Kingdoms, and Eat this Poem.  She has spoken at various conventions and panels, including The Restaurant Show, SIAL, Gulf Host, Caterer Middle East, SMSummit Jordan, New York University Abu Dhabi, and last year was invited to attend the Google Local Guides Summit.

Melissa is ranked as a Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal on Middle East franchising, specialising in acting for international franchisors and master franchisees on their operations.
Melissa advises international and regional franchisors, distributors, hotel operators, developers and service providers on their operations in the Middle East and specifically the United Arab Emirates. She specialises in all forms of strategic and operational franchise, agency, intellectual property, and commercial law governing franchise operations throughout the Gulf and Middle East.
Her experience includes franchising and exploitation of intellectual property rights in the fashion & retail, food & beverage, childcare & education, real estate, sporting goods, pharmaceutical, IT services and general retail industries.
Melissa is admitted to the Supreme Court of Queensland and holds an LLB from the Queensland University of Technology, Australia and a Graduate Diploma of Applied Corporate Governance.
A capable lawyer that represents a lot of franchises in the Middle East,” Melissa Murray has built a strong practice in the region, practising from the Dubai office. Her portfolio of clients includes some enviable international names.
Chambers Global, Franchising 2018

Lin has a wealth of experience and knowledge in all aspects of intellectual property and trade marks across the MENA region.
Lin is a trade mark Attorney with over 20 years of experience, based in our Dubai office.
Lin has a decade of experience advising clients on trade mark registration and enforcement across the MENA region, including providing practical guidance and advice on worldwide portfolio management, trade mark filing strategies, trade mark prosecution, brand clearance and searching, drafting specifications, advising and dealing with oppositions, appeals, cancellations, third party disputes and infringements.
Lin has qualifications in intellectual property and trade marks from Nottingham Trent University. She is a member of The Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys (ITMA), International Trademark Association (INTA), Arab Society for Intellectual Property (ASIP) and Association for the Protection of Industrial Property in the Middle East and North Africa (APPIMAF).
Sau Lin Wan is praised for her ‘consistent and pragmatic’ approach.
Legal 500, 2017

Reif Othman’s culinary creations are without limits, a sensory expedition and gastronomic journey through a perfectly balanced one-of-a-kind cuisine… He explores all that Asia and the Mediterranean has to offer, his “Meditterasian” concept is a concoction of exquisite flavours that fuse east and west.
With his credibility in the culinary world Reif Othman was named by Arabian Business Magazine the 12th Most Influential Person in Dubai the 100 Most Influential Person in the Emirate 2017.

2016-2017 saw Reif pick up

• The Best New Comer by Time Out Magazine
• Best Asian Restaurant by Time Out Magazine
• Restaurant of The Year by Time Out Magazine
• Chef of the Year by WHAT’s On Magazine
• Best Innovative Chef of the Year by ProChef
• Inducted into the Irish beef club as the first Asian to the Bord Bia Chef’s Irish Beef Club in Ireland, this was by the Irish government representing Middle East
• FACT Magazine 2017 Restaurant of the Year
• Caterer POWER 50 – Number 1 in the Chef Category

She is a Senior Awareness and Applied Nutrition officer at Dubai Municipality, Food Safety Department, where she contributes in organizing and implementing nutrition policies and programs, evaluates food services systems and makes the needed recommendations that will provide optimal nutrition and quality food.
She has been working as a clinical dietitian and nutritionist for more than 10 years, with a background in nutrition and food technology and well-rounded experience in clinics, consultation firms and FMCG industry. Zein holds a Master’s of Science in Nutrition and Food from Florida State University/USA. She is also Fulbright alumni, and a member in professional organizations such as Golden Key International Honor Society, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in US and Agriculture Engineering Association in Jordan.

In the ten years that they have spent in the UAE, longtime friends and colleagues Nick Alvis and Scott Price have played a pivotal role in shaping and developing the region’s dining scene.
Having spent over a decade working for Gordon Ramsay in London, Paris and Dubai, in 2011 they launched their first restaurant, Table 9 by Nick and Scott, to great success winning a string of accolades and garnering attention for being one of the first homegrown concepts. In 2013, they showcased their diversity by creating and establishing the Taste Kitchen brand, a chain of popular, award-winning contemporary café-style restaurants.

Their greatest achievement to date came in early 2017 with the opening of Folly by Nick and Scott at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. As part of a long-term, multiple restaurant partnership with Gates Hospitality, the two conceived the concept from scratch and guests will spot their signature style not just in the menu – with its unfussy, innovative dishes and commitment to quality ingredients – but in the decor, craft cocktails, music playlist and general vibe.

In the ten years that they have spent in the UAE, longtime friends and colleagues Nick Alvis and Scott Price have played a pivotal role in shaping and developing the region’s dining scene.
Having spent over a decade working for Gordon Ramsay in London, Paris and Dubai, in 2011 they launched their first restaurant, Table 9 by Nick and Scott, to great success winning a string of accolades and garnering attention for being one of the first homegrown concepts. In 2013, they showcased their diversity by creating and establishing the Taste Kitchen brand, a chain of popular, award-winning contemporary café-style restaurants.
Their greatest achievement to date came in early 2017 with the opening of Folly by Nick and Scott at Souk Madinat Jumeirah. As part of a long-term, multiple restaurant partnership with Gates Hospitality, the two conceived the concept from scratch and guests will spot their signature style not just in the menu – with its unfussy, innovative dishes and commitment to quality ingredients – but in the decor, craft cocktails, music playlist and general vibe.

Zaid Al Hachem is the Group Director of Dynamic Hospitality, responsible for leading the development, management, growth and profitability of the food and beverage and hospitality divisions of Al Aroud Group namely – Dynamic Hospitality, Dynamic Catering and Dynamic Operator. He took over the position in 2015 and has since overseen the development of a series of milestone projects including 16 restaurant concepts and brands in multiple locations under the Dynamic umbrella that have accelerated the growth of the group while positioning it as a leading name in the industry across the UAE.
Zaid has extensive experience across strategic business development, sales and marketing and operations in the hospitality sector. With a career spanning over a decade working with some of the world’s leading international brands including Movenpic Hotels & Resorts, Zaid has been engaged in 65 locations, that consisted of 12 pre-openings and 6 operation take-overs.
Zaid holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the prestigious Lebanese American University as well as a diploma in Avionics from Royal Jordanian Air Academy. He is also engaged in an MBA programme at Swiss Business School.

Sunjeh Raja is the Founder, Director & CEO of the ICCA Dubai, a world-class culinary training centre established in the year 2005. Since then he has been spearheading the rapid market penetration and engagement of the company’s Technical Vocational Education Training programmes in the region. In this role, he takes a hands-on approach to manage ICCA Dubai as an international centre of excellence, offering a world-class culinary education.
Raja is a recipient of several awards and recognitions
Raja specializes in concept, product, and business development with a strong foundation in the corporate and finance sectors, showing a flair for entrepreneurship since his early foray into the business world and has worked in a number of directorial positions across a range of sectors.
He at the moment is helping establish a SAR 80 Million Centre of Excellence in Culinary, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in strategic partnership with the Emaar the Economic City (EEC), under name & style “International Centre for Culinary Arts – King Abdullah Economic City (ICCA – KAEC, KSA)”.

A Columbia University graduate Alan is a serial entrepreneur with a large portfolio of successful start-up investments and projects that include District Lounge, Walk In Closet, AgencyWize, SugarMoo Desserts, as well as Laundrybox, now known as Mybox Dubai.
Alan has a long-standing passion for hotels that started when he worked at Phoenician Luxury Hotel & Resort in Arizona. Succeeding that, Alan has influenced the world of media and advertising for over a decade through his work at companies like Al-Jazeera News Networks, Q-media, JCDecaux and ITP Publishing—the largest publisher in the region at which he handled the Arabian Business digital platform.
He has built a solid network in television, outdoor, radio and digital media, which has led him to new and bigger opportunities and is now fully invested in SugarMoo Desserts, a business that he helped create and conceptualize.

Ravi has 28 years of extensive experience in Europe and the Middle East in the hospitality industry, executing multiple start-ups, creating new concepts and leading multi-brand multi-site operations and has spearheaded 24 food & beverage brands, turned around loss making businesses, restructured acquired businesses and sustained success through new business model innovation.
Ravi currently leads Liwa Minor based in UAE and operates The Coffee Club for the MENA region, an All Day Dining Café from Australia with 29 outlets in operation in the GCC. Since joining in August 2016, Ravi has set the strategic direction for the MENA region for The Coffee Club brand with a steadfast and robust roll-out plan of 100+ outlets to be opened in the Middle East in the next five years along with entry to five new markets.
Ravi graduated with a GMP from Harvard Business School, USA and holds an MBA from University of Bradford, UK, and a Diploma in Hotel Management from Les Roches, Switzerland.

With over 27 years of public relations experience at Promedia, Jack’s specialties include event planning, product launches, corporate and issue-focused media campaigns. His expertise lies in strategic planning, writing and project management. He develops corporate and marketing collateral, press releases and other media kit materials, websites and corporate documents. Jack also assists clients with developing the right marketing strategies.
Jack is California Walnut Commission trade representative and consultant for Turkey and UAE since 2014. He overlooks the correct execution of the PR and trade service campaigns in those markets for California walnuts; generating and supervising the implementation of “Integrated Marketing Communications” strategies and tactics.

David joined Hard Rock Cafe in 2018 to lead the franchise operations and development in EMEA and South Asia region operating 62 Cafes with a strong pipeline of growth. Prior to Hard Rock David led Dubai based Al Tayer Retail’s multi branded restaurant group of twelve International franchise and own brands including Armani Caffe, Almaz by Momo, Caffè Nero, Magnolia Bakery, Serendipity 3. As part of the Group’s Senior Executive team he was also responsible for the F&B new concept development in Bloomingdales, and Macy’s in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.
Previously to Al Tayer, David worked in Russia and the CIS as Brand Director for Rosinter Restaurants and as New Brand Concept Development Director on behalf of Mercedes Benz (Russia) charged with developing a new innovative restaurant concept. Prior to Russia, David spent over 25 years in the UK running, and building restaurant brands across all sectors of the industry.

Nigel J Lobo is currently the Executive Chef and Group Culinary Administrator at the Royal Orchid Hospitality Group in Dubai. Prior to this, he was the Chef de Cuisine at The Eloquent Elephant at the Taj Dubai.
Nigel holds a Bachelors degree in Tourism Studies and a Post Graduate Diploma in Kitchen Management from the renowned Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD). He spent his formative years training at Miramar under Michelin star Chef Paco Perez, at Compartir under Chef Mateu Casanas in Spain; Attica in Australia under Chef Ben Shewry, La Vie under Chef Thomas Buhner in Germany and at a local tapas bar in Valladolid-La Tahona under Chef Jose.
Nigel remains passionate about Modern European cuisine and being born and raised in the UAE, he has harnessed the locally available produce to create successful menus which he has rolled out across all the group’s outlets A sports and music enthusiast, Nigel enjoys playing squash in his free time and has been a lifelong supporter of the English football club Arsenal FC. Nigel is also a trained pianist

Nigel J Lobo is currently the Executive Chef and Group Culinary Administrator at the Royal Orchid Hospitality Group in Dubai. Prior to this, he was the Chef de Cuisine at The Eloquent Elephant at the Taj Dubai.
Nigel holds a Bachelors degree in Tourism Studies and a Post Graduate Diploma in Kitchen Management from the renowned Oberoi Centre of Learning and Development (OCLD). He spent his formative years training at Miramar under Michelin star Chef Paco Perez, at Compartir under Chef Mateu Casanas in Spain; Attica in Australia under Chef Ben Shewry, La Vie under Chef Thomas Buhner in Germany and at a local tapas bar in Valladolid-La Tahona under Chef Jose.Nigel remains passionate about Modern European cuisine and being born and raised in the UAE, he has harnessed the locally available produce to create successful menus which he has rolled out across all the group’s outlets
A sports and music enthusiast, Nigel enjoys playing squash in his free time and has been a lifelong supporter of the English football club Arsenal FC. Nigel is also a trained pianist

Hospitality Project Director, Restauranteur, Consultant and Food and Beverage Concept Creator based out of Dubai, UAE. Omar recruited and worked with talented chefs, restaurant managers, beverage professionals, interior designers, branding specialists and building experts to create world-class hospitality concepts in the Gulf. 
Currently Omar is the Founder and General Manager of BOCA DIFC; a locally grown high-end multi-award winning Mediterranean restaurant and bar located in the prestigious Gate Village of the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC). BOCA offers high-end cuisine from the coast of Spain, France and Italy in a comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.
Born and raised in the UAE, Omar lead BOCA’s sustainability initiatives that have been routed in its operation since inception. The restaurant has been sourcing ingredients locally since day one and have built on this and evolved it in many other aspects including crediting and promoting local and sustainable produce and producers from farmers and fishermen, reducing kitchen wastage and promoting multiuse of ingredients throughout the menu, demand driven inventory, setting up a recycling & reusing program, ban single use plastic utensils and directing and conceptualizing events and partnerships with like-minded individuals and organizations.
Recently BOCA has been one of five restaurants from the Arabian Gulf recently featured in the Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery guidebooks https://truthloveandcleancutlery.com/ These are the world’s first guides to truly showcase exemplary, organic, sustainable, and ethical restaurants.

Spending time in Dubai under the attentive care of the UK’s, and perhaps the world’s, best chefs Aikens and Atherton, Matthijs has unparalleled understanding of local ingredients and the varying palates of the Dubai market. Joining award-winning Mediterranean restaurant BOCA in February 2018 he kept all the original elements that guests know and love while using his expertise and creativity to take the menu to the next level. 
During his tenure at BOCA, the restaurant was one of five from the Arabian Gulf featured in the Truth, Love & Clean Cutlery guidebooks. These are the world’s first guide to truly showcase exemplary, organic, sustainable, and ethical restaurants. BOCA was recognized for its efforts in sourcing locally; collaborating with local and regional fishermen, and farmers in the UAE. 
Matthijs joined BOCA from Jason Atherton’s 
Marina Social in Dubai where he was posted as Sous Chef working closely with Chef Patron Tristin Farmer, and more recently, Head Chef Craig Best. Matthijs arrived in Dubai with a post at Tom Aikens’ Pots Pans & Boards on Dubai’s Beach in JBR, and previously forged his culinary experience at 1, 2 & 3 Michelin star and “S.Pellegrino’s The World’s 100 Best Restaurants” establishments in the Benelux region.

Dirk van de Haar is the director of Creneau International Middle East, an international design and fit-out company and director of SWR hospitality, a successful restaurant operator.
Dirk (35) started his career in the hospitality industry as Food and Beverage Trainee for InterContinental in New York. After graduating from Stenden University he got an opportunity to move to the UAE and open the first Belgian Beer Café in the UAE located in the Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City as restaurant manager.
As the first Belgian Beer Café was a huge success he took matters into his own hands and together with Creneau International Middle East, the master franchisor of the concept, he successfully opened the second café in Souk Madinat Jumeirah as F&B manager. This is the first child of SWR Hospitality, the restaurant operating group.
Over the years as Director, Dirk has successfully opened more restaurants & bars in the UAE, such as well-known Cargo (Pier 7), Maison Mathis (Arabian Ranches & Ras Al Khaimah) and Le Petit Belge (JLT, Business Bay and Motor City).

VeggiTech   Media Partner veggitech.com

VeggiTech is an Agro technology start up with the sole aim of disrupting the agriculture industry. VeggiTech obsesses on addressing the key challenges of traditional farming – soil, temperature and waterthrough its design of protected Hydroponics and Grow Lights assisted Hydroponics.

VeggiTech stands for Vegetation technology redefined and has currently chosen the harsh conditions of UAE to demonstrate these technologies in farms that are open for Investors, Students and Consumers to experience. The Leadership team firmly believes in moving beyond presentations and demonstrating technology that provides the Return on Investment in a live functional environment.

Rabih is the founder and managing director of Rocfort kitchens. Having worked the hospitality industry from all sides, including one of the biggest kitchen contractors, he decided he wanted to be an entrepreneur who treats each client’s business as if it was his own: provide a top quality, specialized, personalized, pragmatic and affordable service.
Passionate about cooking, Rabih works closely with his clients to deliver the right kitchen at the right budget. He believes that kitchen planning and the proper use of technology and equipment innovation are a key success factor in any F&B concept. He focuses particularly on the after sales service and preventive maintenance to ensure continuous operation with minimum interruption and breakdown. Rabih’s clients appreciate his positive solution driven approach, availability, depth of knowledge and commitment.

With a passion for food and restaurant management from an early stage, Mohamed started working in restaurants since the age of 18. From quality service restaurants and cafes all the way to fine dining and five star hotel multinational chains, he built a strong career in the F&B business. In 2016, he took charge as the CEO of Al Thiqa Restaurant Company in Kuwait. Back then, the company had one brand with 20 branches in Kuwait; leading the team today to have over eight brands, more than double the number of branches, with regional operations in the UAE, Lebanon, Iraq, and soon UK and KSA. In 2018, he was selected as Best Business Leader by MENAA organization.

Bobby Kapoor knows the art and craft of making a restaurant work….even in a challenge. His core competence is creating innovative concepts that turn popular, in short ‘food themes that sell’. His contribution comes in all areas right from conceptualisation, look ’n feel, menu creation, in-kitchen-personnel training, coaching the support staff and finally working towards maximising profits. 17 hit concepts and a dozen LTOs later Bobby is raring to create more successes…. for others!