Seminar Programme 2011
Friday 4 March
08.30 - 09.20
Hotel development in Central & Eastern Europe:
Status quo and outlook
Michael Widmann, CEO of PKF Hotelexperts
2008 and 2009 were two years of an almost universal financial crisis. In 2010, the picture somewhat differed from country to country and from region to region. Whereas some countries, especially in Southern Europe (Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece) as well as Ireland remain almost lethargic, some other countries experienced a remarkable recovery (e.g. Germany, Russia, Poland). In 2009, Eastern Europe was the sick man of Europe, but now things look much brighter. This holds also true for the hotel sector, albeit on a spotty basis (e.g. Moscow is booming again, but Bucharest and Sofia have not recovered yet). One fact remains unchanged: many large cities in Eastern Europe (e.g. most secondary cities in Russia and Ukraine) are still vastly underdeveloped in terms of modern hotel infrastructure. This offers plenty of opportunities to developers and investors who can shoulder the risk and the difficult task of obtaining debt financing.
Friday 4 March
13.45 - 14.45
Cradle to Cradle® Celebrating the Human Footprint
Michael Braungart, scientific director of EPEA International Umweltforschung GmbH
We need to rethink how buildings and interiors are designed so we can optimize environmental and economic benefits. The ‘Cradle-to-Cradle’ design paradigm is a design process that recognizes the complex, abundant processes of nature’s ecosystems through the ‘biological metabolism’- and parallel ‘technical metabolism’ for human industry. Dr Michael Braungart, co-author of the internationally renowned book “Cradle to Cradle” and founder of the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA) Hamburg, provides a compelling case for the re-engineering of the production capacity and processes in business and industries towards greater eco-efficiency andeffectiveness. With Cradle to Cradle®, we can celebrate the human footprint on Earth.
Saturday 5 March
08.30 - 09.30
Triple Award-Winning Design for Beginners...
Patricia Urquiola, Founder,STUDIO Urquiola
Patricia Urquiola, the multi-disciplined Spanish Designer will present.
Patricia's first hospitality project, the Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, won European Hotel Design of the Year at the recent European Hotel Design Awards. Her sympathetic, yet glorious transformation of the old bank also secured her the 'Conversion of an existing building to hotel use' and 'Restaurant Interior Design of the Year' Awards. Patricia's presentation will be followed by an Interview with Guy Dittrich and you are invited to join in the conversation.
Saturday 5 March
14.10 - 15.10
Off the Shelf or Bespoke - When to choose which?
Panel Discussion
What are the factors that determine whether products are bought off the shelf or made bespoke? To what extent does a bespoke design philosophy add unnecessary cost when what is required is already available? Can bespoke products ever deliver true value for money? Are manufacturers responding to what designers need?
These questions and many more will be addressed by our panellists – each with a different perspective allied to a wealth of experience in this field. This session is specifically designed for supplier as well as buyer delegates, and the floor will be open for plenty of audience participation. Please join in!
Panellists are:
John Small, Director of Design, Steelcase International and 25 years as Head of Design at Foster and Partners
A teacher in a previous life, John joined Foster + Partners in 1985 and has since created many of their highest profile projects including Stansted Airport and the new Hong Kong Airport. He has aIso designed a number of Foster + Partners’ regular major retrospective exhibitions - an extremely significant part of the practice’s work and an invaluable tool for communicating the architectural process. He also established F + P's furniture and product design department in 1994.
Fiona Thompson, MD, Richmond International
Fiona worked with Richmond back in the eighties and after setting up her own practice, made a welcome return to Richmond in 1992, eventually becoming Design Director, and now Managing Director in January this year. She has helped to establish Richmond as one of the industry's leading design consultancies.
Marco Piva, Founder and Principal, Studio Marco Piva
Marco Piva works in the fields of master planning, architecture, interior design and industrial design. Studio’s branches are located in Dubai, St Petersburg, Moscow and a new opening in Mumbai. After Graduating from the Polytechnic of Milan, Marco founded the Studio dada Associates, one of the best known design studios of the Radical period. Studio Marco Piva is a highly recognised, prolific design firm, earning international commendations and awards at the highest level.
Eugene Staal, Senior Vice President, Rezidor
With an industry grounding at Hyatt, Eugene joined The Rezidor Hotel Group in 2006 as Vice President Technical Development. He was promoted to Senior Vice President and joined the Executive Committee in 2007. He now heads up the Technical Development team in Europe, Middle East, Russia and South Africa. His team provides consultancy services on all aspects of hotel planning and design.
