Bangkok (Thailand) – October 12, 2018 (travelindex.com) – The Culture and Performance Forum is the world's first event of its kind dedicated to the hospitality industry, focusing on exploring groundbreaking themes and practices related to the foundations of any organization, its culture, human integration, and economic performance, in order to enable the organization to reach its full potential.

The forum was conceived and organized by Tareq Bagaeen, founder and CEO of aQedina Hospitality Sales Excellence, and Melkart Rouhana, Chief Engagement Officer at MRT Consultants. The first edition took place on September 24, 2018, at the Okura Prestige Hotel in Bangkok. The second forum is already being planned and is scheduled to be held in Dubai at the end of the first quarter of 2019.

The full-day event included inspiring keynote speeches from Melkart and Tareq, as well as interactive activities and a high-profile panel discussion with leading figures in the hotel industry (see list below): Karl Hudson, Area Vice President at Marriott International; Alejandro Bernabe, Vice President of Operations at Avani Hotels & Resorts; Debrah Pascoe, Executive Vice President – ​​Commercial at Onyx Hospitality; Andrew Turner, Regional Vice President for Southeast Asia at Rosewood Hotels; Andrew Langston, Executive Vice President at Jones Lang LaSalle; John Timson, Director of the Accor Hotels Academy.

All 90 participants in this event were general managers, sales directors, and HR/talent managers from top hotels in Thailand. They benefited from understanding the undeniable link between a company's culture and its economic success from a sales perspective, rather than from the perspective of e-commerce or electronic distribution and revenue generation.

Tareq Bagaeen is a hotelier through and through and a truly globally minded leader. He thrives on direct customer interaction and successfully closing deals. Throughout his career, he has held responsibility in sales and marketing – both directly within hotels and regionally, overseeing dozens of properties. His career has taken him to over 100 countries, where he led teams and managed clients. This has given him a pragmatic approach to navigating diverse cultures, economic ups and downs, monopolized or highly competitive markets, and successfully positioning brands from the budget to the luxury segment. Along his path to outstanding business results, Tareq has trained senior staff at Rosewood Hotels, Hyatt Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, Kerzner International, Rotana, Mövenpick Hotels, Accor, and W Hotels, to name just a few. His philosophy: Every person, every business unit, and every parent company is unique. Therefore, every learning cycle he conducts is tailored to the individual.

Melkart Rouhana is an unwavering, pragmatic leader whose central aim is to enable greatness everywhere. A respected and inspiring speaker and consultant, he empowers individuals and organizations to create sustainable change through the power of culture and human capital. A globally recognized expert in corporate culture and employee engagement, Melkart has been called the "rock star of customer service" by Porsche executives and the "magician of employee engagement" by leading hoteliers. Previously, Melkart held positions including Corporate Director of Global Learning at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, speaker and consultant for the Ritz-Carlton Leadership Center, and Chief Learning Officer for the Emaar Hospitality Group and Armani Hotels & Resorts. He is also a lecturer in the Executive MBA program at London Business School. Melkart's philosophy is considered fundamental and has been instrumental in the success of some of the world's most prestigious companies.

Website: www.cp-forum.com