Alliances, the common denominator
by Natalia Ospina Vélez
Negotiations for more than US$10 million between hoteliers and suppliers, the planning of 424 business meetings between national and foreign buyers, plus the signing of a cooperation agreement, were some of the results of the last XIII International Fair of Hospitality and Equipment, EXPOCOTELCO 2007.The event that took place at the Convention Center of Cartagena de Indias from July 31 to August 3, continued to give an international touch to the meeting. Buyers from Venezuela, Ecuador, Spain and the United States were present there.For its part, the theme of the event focused on how to improve national and international marketing and marketing strategies for the tourism and hospitality industry in Colombia and the world. This approach was addressed in different sessions that provided management tools to the more than 600 attendees.
Strategic alliances
The Third Business Roundtable also took place at Expocotelco 2007. According to the organizers of the event, this new version far exceeded the statistics of the previous one held in August 2006 in Bogotá. "We are very satisfied with the number of appointments that could be arranged and with the outstanding turnover that was completed. This shows us that it is in this kind of events and fairs where hoteliers and sellers in the sector benefit each other. We trust that these businesses will be carried out successfully and that the union will establish productive alliances with its suppliers," said Jaime Alberto Cabal Sanclemente, president of Cotelco, the Hotel Association of Colombia.
Presenting the characteristics and particularities of its products, creating contacts with different companies in the sector and sometimes offering promotional packages or discounts for wholesale sales, were some of the actions that were part of this business event. "The fair had a positive result for us, because we managed to make contact with a Spanish chain that has hotels on Margarita Island, they already knew our product. As for the national hoteliers, we made contacts with new chains," said Vilma del Busto, national project manager of Ormetal, a Colombian company dedicated to developing decorative lighting products. Likewise, the national companies that develop security equipment, furniture equipment, kitchens and spa's were the ones that obtained the most positive results on this occasion. Ormetal for example, launched in this version of the fair the sketch lamps, created exclusively to be located in the headwaters of the beds. With a contemporary design and allogeneic systems, these lamps seek to break with what hotels traditionally look like in their rooms.
In terms of security, Onity presented the Advance lock, a product that also breaks with the usual. "Generally the locks are single-body, the one we show at Expocotelco is a two-body electronic lock, one where the handle is and the other where the card is inserted," said Augusto Santos López, commercial director of Onity.
Logistics development for the industry
As an important advance for the country's hotel industry, the cooperation agreement signed by Cotelco and Logyca, a company dedicated to developing information systems and data updating, was described. This new alliance, which translates into agility for the hospitality industry in Colombia, will facilitate the processes of registration, dispatch, attention, maintenance and services for users and guests. To launch this project, the first step will be the design of a diagnostic tool, training of consultants, pilot tests in some hotels, the definition of an assistance plan, supervision and proposals for improvement in logistics for the implementation of the technological tool in most of the hotels affiliated to Cotelco.
For its part, within the framework of the fair, the government and the Colombian hotel union agreed to the creation of the National Competitiveness Commission. This new body will be responsible for analyzing, evaluating and projecting the tourism sector at home and abroad. In addition, it should study the possibility of establishing cheaper accommodation rates for tourists, look for formulas to optimize national and international air connectivity, analyze the implementation of the Technical Commission of the tourism and hotel sector, labor regulations and the policies of the new Promotion Fund.
"We continue to work steadily so that Colombian tourism and hospitality are listed as one of the best in South America. That has been our union commitment and Cotelco knows that responsibility," Cabal explained.
Finally, the Colombian government also announced together with Cotelco the decision to work on complementary actions that promote the competitiveness of the tourism and hotel sector. This work would be developed with the support of other industry figures such as operators, travel agencies, airlines and restaurants.
Rethinking new measures that support the development and maintenance of national tourism, in addition to increasing the number of national and foreign travelers within the country, would be the new guidelines that would guide this joint work.
Exposure for the palate
In addition to exhibiting companies of technology and hotel endowment, beverages and food also made a presence. In that sense, the second international gastronomic show was developed that allowed attendees to witness live the preparation of different dishes.
The National Learning Service, SENA, in conjunction with the National Training Department of Cotelco, were responsible for the attendees enjoying the most exquisite culinary novelties. Within the program, 13 presentations of different dishes of Colombian cuisine and abroad were made. Spain, Argentina and the Netherlands starred in the international culinary space.
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