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Fortune Favours the Bold at Questex’s IHIF 2023

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LONDON, May 19, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Questex’s International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF), which gathers the global hotel community together, took place 15-17 May in Berlin, with more than 2,500 forward-thinking professionals, including investors, owners and developers in attendance, with 30% of those attending for the first time.

IHIF also attracted more than 500 investors representing 20% of the total audience, and $74.9bn of hospitality assets under management (AUM). Active investors acquiring hospitality stock in the first quarter of 2023 were all present, including ADIA, Axa IM, Bain Capital, Extendam, Hines, Pandox and Stoneweg SA, demonstrating that IHIF is the home of the deal-makers and investors were clearly looking to build their deal-pipelines.

Delegates gathered at the InterContinental Berlin to hear over 230 world-class experts from hospitality, real estate, asset management and academia share insight, advice and views to help shape the future of the sector.

Despite continuing challenging conditions around the world, the hospitality investment community embraced the conference’s headline theme ‘Fortune Favours the Bold’ attending inspirational talks, making connections, sealing deals and setting out plans to build a stronger framework for hospitality.

The opening keynote from Professor Ian Goldin, Professor of Globalisation and Development, Oxford University, told delegates hospitality was a ‘good investment’ but noted it had been a neglected sector due to lack of effective lobbying and was continuing to be impacted by high inflation and staffing issues.

Goldin suggested the industry be proactive and ‘ahead of the curve’ to seize opportunities. “The hospitality industry needs to do better, to deliver experiences that people want and that last. People are drawn magnetically to find like-minded people – being in the right place is becoming increasingly important for investors,” he said.

Giving people valuable experiences and creating a sense of community was echoed in sessions focusing on diversification and merging hospitality concepts, held at Adjacent Spaces at The Pullman Hotel across the road. “You need to add substance, not just style,” said Shafi Syed from Equinox Hotels. “If you want to extend the brand you need to have credibility and a strong, authentic story – and focus on the specific needs of the customer.”

A session led by Jenny Southan, Globetrender examined travel trends and the continued growth of the rebel spending traveller, while the panel discussion with Robin Rossman of STR, Michael Grove of Hotstats, Carine Bonnejean of Christie & Co and Julien Allen of CBRE Capital Talks, saw them unpick asset values and identify opportunities for investors, reinforcing the message that those stuck in old ways may not survive.

The first day was fuelled by two new focuses on F&B and ESG with multiple breakout rooms and sessions, and the main stage attracted keen investors and brands to hear industry leaders Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor and Keith Barr, the outgoing CEO of IHG.

Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor took to the stage to share his honest and personal insights, and what being bold means to him.

Bazin spoke about his continuing journey with the brand, managing brand standards and his hate of the term AI within hospitality. He said: “There is nothing artificial about artificial intelligence, it should be called augmented intelligence. You need AI, but remember people want and need to travel to build moments and interactions so that can’t be replaced.“

The final session of the day saw CEO Keith Barr, who has headed up IHG Hotels & Resorts for the last six years, speak of his next move after it was revealed he would be standing down from his position at the end of June.

He said: “I’ll be moving to my wife’s birthplace of Hawaii and taking some time with my family, but after 20 years in the industry, I’m sure I’ll be back sooner rather than later.”

Barr said he believed hospitality had the ability to thrive as post-pandemic consumers were more interested in experiences than material objects. “People aren’t buying TVs, cars and goods, they are buying experiences, airline tickets, booking restaurants and hotels and that’s a great sign.”

Day two’s sessions started with a focus on hotel investment. In Finding Finance: Securing the Best Term Sheet banks and alternative lenders Jens Blomdahl of KSL Capital Partners, Bettina Graef-Parker of Aareal Bank AG and David Gorleku of Blackstone discussed how borrowers can increase the appeal of their project to potential lenders and offset increasing margins.

In the CEO Panel discussion, Dilip Rajakarier of Minor Hotels, Katerina Giannouka of Jumeirah Group, Oliver Bonke of Deutsche Hospitality and Gilda Perez-Alvarado, Global CEO JLL Hotels & Hospitality, explored the value of partnerships for competitiveness. Echoing Barr’s comments on the outlook for the industry, Rajakarier said: “The best is yet to come. Travel from China, India, and South America is coming back and we will embrace it.”

Other activity on day two included the presentation of the 24th Lifetime Achievement Award and the 15th Young Leader Award. Following an interview, the Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Stavros Andreadis and Dr. Andreas Andreadis, who have worked tirelessly to expand and develop their Sani & Ikos resorts in Greece and across the Mediterranean.

On receiving the award, Dr. Andreas Andreadis said: “We followed our dream and beliefs. We executed our plans well,” before thanking staff, partners, guests and investors.

The presentation also saw Florian Montag from Apaleo celebrate the honour of being named Young Leader of the year, recognising the excellence of young emerging leaders in the hospitality industry.

Concluding the conference was Professor Hannah Fry, who gave a fascinating keynote on The Joy of Data: The Mathematics of Shaping the Future, in which she challenged hospitality industry leaders to use a data-informed approach rather than a data-led one, and to let it be part of the story, not the driver.

IHIF also provided the perfect platform for exciting announcements including IHIF owner Questex who revealed they will assume management control of NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference following its June 2023 event and thus expanding its global hospitality portfolio.

In addition, several high-profile hospitality partners announced key developments including:

  • Corinthia signed a hotel management agreement to operate a luxury resort in the Maldives.
  • YAYS Group announced plans to expand outside Benelux and France. It will open its first hotel in Spain, in Madrid, at the end of this year and is hoping to open in a major German city in 2024.
  • The launch of hospitality management company Kinsfolk & Co. Born in London, but created with an international perspective, the company will be led by Paul Brackley, previously managing director of The Beaumont Hotel, Mayfair.
  • The launch of LyvInn, a new European-based hybrid hotel brand founded by Navneet Bali, which opened its first hotel in Frankfurt on 15 May.
  • The signing of an exclusivity agreement between Zeal Hotels and IHG Hotels & Resort for their first net zero carbon hotel.
  • Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and Zeus International Hotels & Resorts have expanded their strategic collaboration with a new non-exclusive agreement to develop multi hospitality asset developments in the next few years under the Trademark Collection by Wyndham and Registry Collection Hotels brands.
  • Choice Hotels EMEA and Borealis Hotel Group have signed a strategic partnership agreement to expand their European portfolios. Through this agreement, Borealis will have the ability to franchise upscale and midscale hotels from the Choice Hotels EMEA portfolio of brands, across the territories they currently operate including The Netherlands, Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Spain and Denmark and look for new opportunities in other European countries.
  • Hilton has signed a franchise agreement with Blackstone, the world’s largest alternative asset manager, and Event Hotels to open DoubleTree by Hilton Berlin Ku’damm. The hotel is set to become the first DoubleTree by Hilton in Berlin, following an extensive multi-million euro remodelling. The hotel company has also signed a franchise agreement with Intersped d.o.o. Sarajevo to open Hotel Neretva Mostar, Tapestry Collection by Hilton and Hampton by Hilton Sarajevo City Centre, its first hotel in Bosnia & Herzegovina.
  • Saudi Tourism Development Fund announced a partnership with Minor Hotels to develop multiple hospitality projects across the KSA
  • Saudi Tourism Development Fund partners up with Radisson Hotel Group to develop several hotels and resorts across KSA

Notes to Editors:

Questex Hospitality Group, a division of Questex LLC, represents a senior audience of $650 billion in hotel assets, reaching one in two hotel owners and operators across the globe. With a portfolio of both media and live events, including Hospitality InvestorThe Annual Hotel Conference (AHC)The International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF), and The Resort & Residential Hospitality Forum (R&R), Questex Hospitality Group brings together leaders in hospitality investment, development and operations to make the deals that shape recovery and growth in the sector.

About Questex

Questex helps people live better and longer. Questex brings people together in the markets that help people live better: travel, hospitality and wellness; the industries that help people live longer: life science and healthcare; and the technologies that enable and fuel these new experiences. We live in the experience economy – connecting our ecosystem through live events, surrounded by data insights and digital communities. We deliver experience and real results. It happens here.

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Artificial Intelligence

$10 million Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize appoints further advisory committee members

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D. Sculley, Kevin Buzzard, Leo de Moura, Lester Mackey and Peter J. Liu appointed to the advisory committee for the Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize.
LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — XTX Markets’ newly created Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize (‘AIMO Prize’) is a $10mn challenge fund designed to spur the creation of a publicly shared AI model capable of winning a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

XTX Markets is delighted to announce the appointment of five further advisory committee members. This group brings great expertise in machine learning, including D. Sculley, the CEO of Kaggle; Lester Mackey, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and a Macarthur Fellow; and Peter J. Liu, a research scientist at Google DeepMind.
Prolific mathematicians Kevin Buzzard, who achieved a perfect score in the International Mathematical Olympiad, and Leo De Moura who is the Chief Architect for Lean, the automated reasoning tool, also join the advisory group.
They join the existing advisory committee members Terence Tao and Timothy Gowers, both winners of the Fields Medal, as well as Dan Roberts, Geoff Smith and Po-Shen Loh.
The AIMO Advisory Committee will support the development of the AIMO Prize, including advising on appropriate protocols and technical aspects, and designing the various competitions and prizes.
Simon Coyle, Head of Philanthropy at XTX Markets, commented:
“We are thrilled to complete the AIMO Advisory Committee with the appointments of D., Kevin, Leo, Lester and Peter. Together, they have enormous experience in machine learning and automated reasoning and are already bringing expertise and wisdom to the AIMO Prize. We look forward to announcing the winners of the AIMO’s first Progress Prize soon, and then publicly sharing the AI models to support the open and collaborative development of AI.”
Further information on the AIMO Prize
There will be a grand prize of $5mn for the first publicly shared AI model to enter an AIMO approved competition and perform at a standard equivalent to a gold medal in the IMO. There will also be a series of progress prizes, totalling up to $5mn, for publicly shared AI models that achieve key milestones towards the grand prize.
The first AIMO approved competition opened to participants in April 2024 on the Kaggle competition platform. The first progress prize focuses on problems pitched at junior and high-school level maths competitions. There is a total prize pot of $1.048m for the first progress prize, of which at least $254k will be awarded in July 2024, There will be a presentation of progress held in Bath, England in July 2024, as part of the 65th IMO.
For more information on the AIMO Prize visit: https://aimoprize.com/ or the competition page on Kaggle: https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/ai-mathematical-olympiad-prize/
Advisory Committee member profiles:
D. Sculley
D. is the CEO at Kaggle. Prior to joining Kaggle, he was a director at Google Brain, leading research teams working on robust, responsible, reliable and efficient ML and AI. In his career in ML, he has worked on nearly every aspect of machine learning, and has led both product and research teams including those on some of the most challenging business problems. Some of his well-known work involves ML technical debt, ML education, ML robustness, production-critical ML, and ML for scientific applications such as protein design.
Kevin Buzzard
Kevin a professor of pure mathematics at Imperial College London, specialising in algebraic number theory. As well as his research and teaching, he has a wide range of interests, including being Deputy Head of Pure Mathematics, Co-Director of a CDT and the department’s outreach champion. He is currently focusing on formal proof verification, including being an active participant in the Lean community. From October 2024, he will be leading a project to formalise a 21st century proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Before joining Imperial, some 20 years ago, he was a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he had previously been named ‘Senior Wrangler’ (the highest scoring undergraduate mathematician). He was also a participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning gold with a perfect score in 1987. He has been a visitor at the IAS in Princeton, a visiting lecturer at Harvard, has won several prizes both for research and teaching, and has given lectures all over the world.
Leo de Moura
Leo is a Senior Principal Applied Scientist in the Automated Reasoning Group at AWS. In his spare time, he dedicates himself to serving as the Chief Architect of the Lean FRO, a non-profit organization that he proudly co-founded alongside Sebastian Ullrich. He is also honoured to hold a position on the Board of Directors at the Lean FRO, where he actively contributes to its growth and development. Before joining AWS in 2023, he was a Senior Principal Researcher in the RiSE group at Microsoft Research, where he worked for 17 years starting in 2006. Prior to that, he worked as a Computer Scientist at SRI International. His research areas are automated reasoning, theorem proving, decision procedures, SAT and SMT. He is the main architect of several automated reasoning tools: Lean, Z3, Yices 1.0 and SAL. Leo’s work in automated reasoning has been acknowledged with a series of prestigious awards, including the CAV, Haifa, and Herbrand awards, as well as the Programming Languages Software Award by the ACM. Leo’s work has also been reported in the New York Times and many popular science magazines such as Wired, Quanta, and Nature News.
Lester Mackey
Lester Mackey is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he develops machine learning methods, models, and theory for large-scale learning tasks driven by applications from climate forecasting, healthcare, and the social good. Lester moved to Microsoft from Stanford University, where he was an assistant professor of Statistics and, by courtesy, of Computer Science. He earned his PhD in Computer Science and MA in Statistics from UC Berkeley and his BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University. He co-organized the second place team in the Netflix Prize competition for collaborative filtering; won the Prize4Life ALS disease progression prediction challenge; won prizes for temperature and precipitation forecasting in the yearlong real-time Subseasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo; and received best paper, outstanding paper, and best student paper awards from the ACM Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, and the International Conference on Machine Learning. He is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, an elected member of the COPSS Leadership Academy, and the recipient of the 2023 Ethel Newbold Prize.
Peter J. Liu
Peter J. Liu is a Research Scientist at Google DeepMind in the San Francisco Bay area, doing machine learning research with a specialisation in language models since 2015 starting in the Google Brain team. He has published and served as area chair in top machine learning and NLP conferences such as ICLR, ICML, NEURIPS, ACL and EMNLP. He also has extensive production experience, including launching the first deep learning model for Gmail Anti-Spam, and using neural network models to detect financial fraud for top banks. He has degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Toronto.
About XTX Markets:
XTX Markets is a leading financial technology firm which partners with counterparties, exchanges and e-trading venues globally to provide liquidity in the Equity, FX, Fixed Income and Commodity markets. XTX has over 200 employees based in London, Paris, New York, Mumbai, Yerevan and Singapore. XTX is consistently a top 5 liquidity provider globally in FX (Euromoney 2018-present) and is also the largest European equities (systematic internaliser) liquidity provider (Rosenblatt FY: 2020-2023).
The company’s corporate philanthropy focuses on STEM education and maximum impact giving (alongside an employee matching programme). Since 2017, XTX has donated over £100mn to charities and good causes, establishing it as a major donor in the UK and globally.
In a changing world XTX Markets is at the forefront of making financial markets fairer and more efficient for all.
 

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Artificial Intelligence

Hikvision redefines urban mobility with AIoT-powered solutions at Intertraffic 2024

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HANGZHOU, China, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hikvision made a significant appearance at Intertraffic Amsterdam, the leading global trade fair for mobility and traffic technology. At the trade event, Hikvision unveiled a suite of traffic, transport, and parking management solutions and products powered by Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technology, which promised to improve urban mobility, road safety, and operational efficacy.

Elevating urban traffic intelligence with AIoT
One highlight of the Hikvision stand was its intelligent urban traffic solution, which leveraged the power of AIoT to deliver comprehensive real-time monitoring, incident detection, and traffic control. This solution intelligently reshapes traffic dynamics, offering a more responsive and data-driven approach to enhance situational awareness and traffic management. Key innovations in the solution included:
Hikvision’s radar-video fusion camerasThese combine the range perception of radar with the visual perception of video. The 4 MP Radar and Video Vehicle Detector, for example, helps to enhance road safety by providing early warning of potential hazards in challenging situations such as blind spots at intersections and obstacles outside the visual range.Hikvision’s All-In-One Traffic SpotterThis stands out with its multifaceted design incorporating video, radar, and lighting technologies for heightened traffic violation detection. Its streamlined column design facilitates effortless installation.Hikvision’s Radar-Linked PTZ Camera This ensures consistent performance in adverse weather and lightening conditions, and minimizes false alarms with advanced deep-learning algorithms.Innovating parking management
Hikvision also introduced its parking management solutions. These combine extremely precise license plate recognition and intelligent barrier controls incorporating highly accurate radar sensors. This comprehensive approach enhances security, reduces the need for manual intervention, and streamlines traffic flow across parking areas. The Global Shutter CMOS* (GMOS) ANPR camera was a new addition to the lineup. Designed to seamlessly blend in the environment, it is tailored for the task of discreetly capturing license plates at parking facilities that prioritize subtlety.
Advancing public transportation safety and efficiency
Attendees also had the opportunity to explore Hikvision’s latest public transport solutions, integrating AI-driven analytics with advanced video security, on-site voice broadcasting, and centralized management for enhanced onboard security, improved passenger experience, and operational efficiency for buses and taxis. This included the Four-way monitoring system and the Panoramic Auxiliary System, both designed to reduce blind spots and provide high-definition imaging to improve driving safety.
“As ever, we are continually expanding our suite of technologies to enhance traffic safety and efficiency,” said Nick Wu, Project Product Director at Hikvision Europe. “Our commitment lies in minimizing the need for extensive roadside installations by incorporating comprehensive perception and robust AI within unified device frameworks. These innovations automate and streamline every aspect of traffic management, from violation detection to traffic flow monitoring, driving safety, and parking management.”
To find out more about Hikvision’s urban mobility products and solutions, please explore its official website.
Note: CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor.
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Artificial Intelligence

London Blockchain Conference Launches the No Future Campaign

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LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The London Blockchain Conference is excited to announce the launch of its ground-breaking, ‘No Future Campaign’. This initiative aims to create a strong narrative surrounding blockchain technology by challenging perceptions and sparking conversations. By creating this platform, the campaign aims to instil a fear of missing out (FOMO) sensation among the audience, positioning the London Blockchain Conference as a gateway to securing a stake in the future and unlocking the potential of blockchain technology.

With a bold and evocative narrative theme, the campaign will initially confront the audience with a jarring reality check of “NO FUTURE” and then resolve the statement “WITHOUT BLOCKCHAIN” to spark curiosity and engagement with the optimistic revelation that blockchain holds the key to a prosperous future.
The ‘No Future Campaign’ started on 17 April 2024 with the London Blockchain Conference creating and executing content on/with media platforms and partnerships:
Wharf Life inserts (17/04/2024) – Print and a digital advert/editorial-sponsored pieces.Animations being released on paid and organic channels in a 3-week campaign.Alex Stein, Conference Director said, “The No Future Campaign is a call for individuals, enterprises, and governments to recognise the importance and role of blockchain in shaping the future. Through the London Blockchain Conference, we aim to educate and inspire attendees to understand and harness the potential of blockchain technology.”
The three-day London Blockchain Conference at the ExCel will bring together politicians, business leaders, and innovators. The conference will be running from 21 – 23 May 2024 and will focus on disruptive and real-world applications of blockchain technology and the impact it is having on politics, emerging technologies, and enterprises.
For more information about the ‘No Future campaign’, visit the London Blockchain Conference website.
About the London Blockchain Conference
NETWORK. LEARN. ENGAGE. 
 At the London Blockchain Conference, we show how Blockchain will change the world and help people see another way to manage data, build scalable on-chain solutions and achieve great things. We do this by creating valuable, insightful, and engaging events that educate and inform, allowing you to connect and network to build strong business relationships. Our conference is the best avenue to see blockchain innovations, ecosystem announcements, product launches, technology updates, keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats from blockchain leaders. Join us and experience it for yourself. 
 
 

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