Chef José Andrés to speak at The Hospitality Show 2024

CHEF AND HUMANITARIAN José Andrés will deliver the opening keynote at The Hospitality Show on Oct. 28. The three-day event, organized by Questex and the American Hotel & Lodging Association, will take place from Oct. 28 to 30 at the Henry B. González Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Additional speakers and program updates will be announced in the coming months, AHLA said in a statement.

In the discussion titled "Changing the World Through the Power of Food," Andrés, a food and hunger advocate, will express his belief that "food is a basic human right,” AHLA said. The World Central Kitchen, the non-profit he founded in 2010 to provide food relief after disasters, has delivered over 350 million meals worldwide.

Andrés also founded José Andrés Group, which owns restaurants such as the two-Michelin-starred minibar in Washington D.C., Mercado Little Spain in New York City and multiple locations of the Bazaar by José Andrés, the statement said. Andrés popularized Spanish tapas in the U.S. and introduced avant-garde cuisine.

The Hospitality Show will host more than 100 industry leaders presenting strategies for improved profitability and efficiency, AHLA said. Discussion topics will include shifting customer expectations, sustainability for increased profitability, brand differentiation, workforce and stakeholder alignment, franchising, and technology disruption. The expo floor will feature more than 400 vendors showcasing operational and technological solutions for enhanced performance and profitability.

Around 1,000 hotel industry attendees recently gathered at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place for the AHLA Foundation's annual ForWard conference, themed "Right the Narrative," focusing on empowering women's voices and stories within the industry.