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As Hotel Asia Exhibition returns, Alan Palmer sets eyes on nurturing Maldivian talent

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By Shamman Zahir

South Asia’s largest hospitality tradeshow, Hotel Asia will take place this October after a hiatus due to the pandemic with the much-awaited International Culinary Challenge kicking off a day ahead. The exhibition, organised by Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services and supported by Bestbuy Maldives, is to be held at Dharubaaaruge, for which several resorts, hotels, restaurants, food and beverage establishments have also confirmed participation.

Alan Palmer who has been the Programme Director since its inception in 2002 reflects on how the Hotel Asia Exhibition and International Culinary Challenge is going to be after a three-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s exhibition marks the 16th edition of this jam-packed event, with over 600 competitions over the course of four days of the International Culinary Challenge. The timing also coincides with the Maldives celebrating the golden jubilee of tourism.

Palmer has an impressive career spanning 59 years having got his start at the age of 16. Since 1963, his career has taken him to various continents during their key development stages of the hotel industry of the respective countries such as Switzerland and Singapore.

Palmer’s first visit to the Maldives was in 1996 when he arrived in the country as a judge for a competition organised by the tourism ministry. His next visit was for Hotel Asia, which was started by Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services and Bestbuy Maldives with just tents and canopy. It has come a long way since!

“The idea behind Hotel Asia was born with the idea in mind to showcase Maldivian talent, to give Maldivians an international stage to compete and learn from world-class chefs from around the globe, all the while attracting interest from local youth and businesses to join in the industry,” Palmer says.

As tourism is the biggest contributor to the Maldivian economy, it was a necessity to establish a platform like Hotel Asia. As demand grew, since 2011, Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services and Bestbuy Maldives have held the event year up until 2019 when COVID-19 shut the tourism industry down.

At Hotel Asia, 15 judges from around the globe certify the winners, and some winners are sent abroad for further training and competitions thanks to the generous support of Bestbuy Maldives. The platform, spearheaded by Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services and Bestbuy Maldives, is committed to the development of Maldivian talent. With a waitlist of companies, it is clearly popular, but it is not without its hurdles. The infrastructure improvements are vital to provide space for more exhibitors, as new hotels open up across the archipelago.

“Understandably, Maldives being a small island nation needs a convention centre that is functional to implement as a MICE (Meetings Incentives Conferences Exhibitions) market,” Palmer says.

“Despite Maldives being scattered, the resolve and organisation of hotels sending their chefs and the chefs themselves to have the commitment to make the journey despite logistical challenges to participate is admirable.”

Palmer’s advice to the youth is that if they remained consistent and persevere, they would be able to climb the ladder as a chef and a judge beyond their home soil to be renowned globally. There is a career to be made to those who have the passion and maintain a standard. As the Programme Director of the International Culinary Challenge, the aim is to nurture more local talent and skilled professionals. The vision for the future is to further improve and expand the exhibition to cater to the evolving needs of the industry.

The 16th edition of the Hotel Asia Exhibition and International Culinary Challenge, organised by Maldives Exhibition and Conference Services and sponsored by Bestbuy Maldives, will be held from October 10-12, 2022 at Dharubaaaruge in capital Male. The free to enter exhibition estimates a turnout of 4,000 people this year.

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Feydhoo Hall opens at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives as new event space

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Dusit International, one of Thailand’s leading hotel and property development companies, has announced the opening of Feydhoo Hall, a landmark event venue at dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives, redefining the possibilities for meetings, celebrations, and destination events in the Maldives.

Designed to bring scale, flexibility, and creativity to island gatherings, Feydhoo Hall represents a bold step forward in positioning the Maldives as a dynamic destination for conferences, weddings, and large-scale social occasions.

Feydhoo Hall offers a versatile event complex designed to accommodate a wide range of gatherings, from corporate meetings and conferences to weddings and social celebrations.

At its core is the 390 sqm Main Hall, capable of hosting:

  • Up to 300 guests in theatre-style setup
  • Up to 240 guests for dining and banquet-style events
  • Up to 200 guests for cocktail-style receptions
  • Up to 144 guests in cluster-round configuration

Enhancing the flexibility of the venue are additional dedicated spaces, including:

  • A 110 sqm Veranda Terrace, ideal for welcome receptions, breakout sessions, and pre-event gatherings, accommodating up to 100 guests for cocktail-style events.
  • A spacious 1,000 sqm Lawn Space, perfect for large-scale outdoor celebrations, destination weddings, and open-air events, accommodating up to 400 guests for cocktail receptions and up to 350 guests for dining setups.
  • The 55 sqm Ekugai Meeting Room, designed for smaller meetings and executive sessions, accommodating up to 30 guests in theatre or dining setup and 24 guests in cluster-round format.

Together, these integrated spaces create a seamless indoor-outdoor event experience, allowing planners to design dynamic and personalised event journeys.

True to the dusitD2 brand’s lifestyle-driven philosophy, Feydhoo Hall introduces a fresh approach to meetings and events — where productivity meets creativity in an inspiring island setting.

The venue offers flexible meeting formats designed to suit different event needs, including:

  • Half-Day Meeting Package (4 hours) — ideal for focused sessions, executive meetings, and creative workshops.
  • Full-Day Meeting Package (8 hours) — designed for immersive conferences, extended workshops, and large-scale corporate gatherings.

These thoughtfully structured packages provide planners with the flexibility to create impactful and seamless experiences, whether hosting intimate strategy sessions or dynamic full-day events.

Located just seven minutes by speedboat from Velana International Airport, dusitD2 Feydhoo Maldives combines accessibility with vibrant lifestyle energy, offering event planners and guests a rare balance between convenience and tropical escape.

With the introduction of Feydhoo Hall, the resort strengthens its position as a versatile destination — not only for leisure travellers but also for international conferences, creative retreats, luxury weddings, and large-scale social celebrations seeking something refreshingly different in the Maldives.

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BBM expands retail presence with new Hulhumalé outlet

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Bestbuy Maldives (BBM) opened a new wholesale store in Hulhumalé Phase 2 on Monday.

The outlet is located on the ground floor of Lot 20286, Nirolhu Magu, and is intended to improve access to BBM’s imported goods for residents of Hulhumalé Phase 2 and for businesses operating in the area.

According to the company, the opening forms part of its plan to expand services closer to customers in line with population growth in Hulhumalé.

With the opening of the new store, BBM’s full range of imported and distributed products will be available at the Hulhumalé Phase 2 location. These include consumer goods from international brands such as Lifebuoy, Vaseline and Unilever.

The store will also stock wholesale food products from brands including Daily, Cavin’s and Redman.

BBM has supplied goods to resorts, hotels and retail outlets across the Maldives for several years.

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa hosts integrated work-and-dive corporate retreat in Fuvahmulah

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Ataraxis Grand & Spa recently hosted a week-long, closed corporate offsite in Fuvahmulah for a US-based artificial intelligence company, highlighting the island’s growing suitability for integrated work-and-experience retreats. The retreat brought a group of 36 international professionals to the property, which was reserved exclusively for the programme.

Designed as a private company offsite, the stay combined structured daily work sessions with guided diving and beginner-friendly surf experiences, creating a balanced format that blended focused collaboration with physical reset.

A notable component of the programme was dive training and certification. During the retreat, 17 participants completed their Open Water certification, while a further six undertook the Advanced Open Water course, with training and dives scheduled alongside work sessions as part of the integrated itinerary.

Throughout the week, participants worked on-site using dedicated shared spaces supported by reliable high-speed internet, allowing meetings, informal collaboration and scheduled activities to take place within a single, uninterrupted environment. This setup enabled teams to move seamlessly between work periods and organised ocean activities without leaving the property.

Fuvahmulah’s natural and operational advantages formed a key part of the retreat’s appeal. As one of the Maldives’ largest inhabited islands, it offers immediate access to pelagic dive sites, internationally recognised shark diving and surf breaks suitable for instruction, alongside the infrastructure required to support extended group stays.

The offsite reflects a growing preference among technology and knowledge-sector teams for small-scale retreats that prioritise concentrated work environments and team cohesion over traditional conference formats. Such programmes typically involve longer stays and higher per-capita spend, aligning with sustainable, quality-driven tourism models.

The retreat also demonstrates how locally operated properties such as Ataraxis Grand & Spa are supporting this shift by delivering unified environments where accommodation, workspaces, connectivity and curated experiences operate as a single programme rather than separate services.

As organisations continue to explore alternative formats for strategy sessions, team resets and creative offsites, Ataraxis Grand & Spa’s experience positions Fuvahmulah as an increasingly viable destination for integrated corporate retreats.

Ataraxis Grand & Spa offers work-and-dive retreat programmes in Fuvahmulah that combine accommodation, dedicated workspaces, high-speed connectivity and organised diving and surfing.

Further information on retreat formats and dive-inclusive stays is available via the Ataraxis Grand & Spa website.

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