THOUGHT LEADERS SERIES: LAURENT A. VOIVENEL

Gulf Glass, the largest event dedicated to the glass industry in the Middle East, ​ hosts Laurent A. Voivenel as a key speaker this year. The Senior Vice President, Operations & Development for Middle East, Africa & India, Swiss-Belhotel International will be delivering a presentation titled "Innovative Glass Trends in Hotels" at the Facades Seminar Series, on September 25.

Here's what he told us ahead of the event:

What are the major trends in the hospitality sector in terms of glass selection?

For many years, hospitality as well as construction professionals looked at glass as just a window. Today, things are changing drastically: new technologies are coming onboard, and glass is becoming smarter and smarter.

The latest glass technologies are going to be increasingly incorporated into the future structures of the buildings. Today, we can already see that structures are getting thinner and the glasses are getting larger.

More and more we will use these large glass panels on the building facades as energy sources. Some companies like Tesla are already developing some fabulous glasses which can be used as energy sources.

Moreover, the people’s habits are changing and hotels’ guests are getting younger. The hospitality business has to adapt to this new demographics and give guests what they want: more open and clear spaces, and less walls. This is where all these smart glasses will have a huge impact, on top of the energy saving, which is definitely a must.

Finally, colored glasses are part of any interior design today, so glass will surely be one of the very important materials going forward. 

What can industry professionals learn by attending your presentation at the event?

At Gulf Glass, attendees will be able to learn a number of new things. First of all, new trends: there are plenty of things coming up on the market, which I'm pretty sure attendees are not fully aware of.

Second, we are extremely lucky to have a beautiful weather here in Dubai and being able to utilize all the new glass technologies, which are becoming available. However, there are also new technologies that will be suitable for other regions, and which will help save money - and I think that's a very good reason to attend that seminar!

Register and attend for free Laurent A. Voivenel's presentation by clicking HERE. ​

^{About Laurent A. Voivenel}

^{Spearheading the group’s expansion in the region. He holds over 30 years of extensive international hotel and asset management experience with some of the world’s leading and most prestigious hospitality brands including Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Hilton Hotels & Resorts.}

^{Prior to joining Swiss-Belhotel, Laurent was the Chief Executive Officer of HMH – Hospitality Management Holding for over three and a half years and was the primary driving force behind repositioning HMH as the Middles East's largest and most credible operator in the dry segment while setting in motion aggressive expansion.}

^{With a Master’s degree in Business Administration (MBA), Laurent has a proven track record in areas of corporate mergers and acquisitions, hotel development and investment, multi-brand operations, as well as outstanding management experience across Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East.}

^{Being based in the Middle East for the last 18 years, Laurent also has a deep understanding of the region's unique business dynamics and culture that has resulted in a solid network and close ties with hotel owners, developers and investors.}