| | MAY 20238IN FOCUSUS GREENWICH FORUM TO HOST FIRST INTERNATIONAL VERSION IN HONG KONGPLANET HOLLYWOOD HIRES FORMER TGI FRIDAY'S CEO TO HEAD INDIA & ASIA EXPANSIONThe Greenwich Economic Forum (GEF), a conference for the worldwide alternative investment industry, will be hosted in Hong Kong in June. This will be the first time the forum has met outside of the United States. According to the GEF's new GEF-Hong Kong website, the two-day event, which will take place on June 15th and 16th, will bring together `top international finance thought leaders at a crucial time for East-West relations and commerce'.Long COVID lockdowns, which were finally substantially lifted at the beginning of this year, severely damaged Hong Kong's economy. Since then, the former British colony and Asian financial centre has been working to entice travellers and foreign investment back.The city conducted a Wealth Summit last month and unveiled a number of initiatives to court family offices.The Hong Kong stock exchange is providing support for the GEF conference.Michael Spence, the 2018 Nobel Laureate in Economics, Nicolas Aguzin, the CEO of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and Kenny Lam, the CEO of Two Sigma Asia Pacific are among the confirmed speakers at the GEF, which was founded in Greenwich, Connecticut. One of the most important conferences for the worldwide alternative investment market is the Greenwich Economic Forum.The peer-to-peer environment that GEF offers contrasts with the larger `cast of thousands' type events that are typical in the sector. Planet Hollywood International, a global hotel and casino-styled resorts chain themed around Hollywood, has appointed former TGI Friday's India head RohanJetley to lead its hotels and resorts division in India and Asia as it looks to expand in Asia. "India has the capacity to take 10 Planet Hollywood Hotels over the next two to three years, as a mix of new builds and conversions", Jetley told sources.Robert Earl, a serial entrepreneur, founded Planet Hollywood. "We will be looking for local partners to develop the hotels", Jetley stated. "The market for the lifestyle hotel category is rapidly growing and has become the preferred category with global travellers", he said. Partnerships with ancillary brands in the Planet Hollywood group, which could be added to the hotel and resort projects, could be part of the expansion plans.Earl Enterprises Corporation, based in Florida, currently operates two hotels in India, one in Mumbai and one in South Goa." Jetley will lead the team that will focus on opportunities throughout Asia and India for Planet Hollywood Hotels and Resorts worldwide", as per a statement from the company.The Jetley family-owned Bistro Hospitality had sold his stake in TGI Friday's India operations to Universal Success Enterprises, a Singapore-based diversified hospitality and real estate group. TGI Friday's now has a very limited presence in India because it could not compete with larger fine-dining brands that have consistently invested in India.Jetley joined Reef Technologies, a real estate group, as chief executive for the Middle East region after selling Bistro's stake in TGI Friday's.The Indian hospitality sector is recovering strongly after the pandemic, with discretionary spending at an all-time high, and many large hospitality brands, including Hilton Group, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, and Radisson Hotels, have announced the establishment and expansion of luxury brands in the country. THE HONG KONG STOCK EXCHANGE IS PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR THE GEF CONFERENCE
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