In today’s bourgeoning food & beverage industry the design experience of an establishment has become just as important as the culinary experience itself.

16 November | 8 - 7pm
The Forum at Downtown Design, d3 waterfront, Dubai Design District (d3)

Free to attend- Pre-register HERE for entry

In today’s bourgeoning food & beverage industry the design experience of an establishment has become just as important as the culinary experience itself. In this panel; Food and Beverage entrepreneurs, investors and designers will analyse the relative return on investment in design on Food and Beverage outlets. They will deliberate the importance of creative design solutions and the long term effects of investment in design on the actual performance of the concept.

About Hashem Montasser:

Hashem Montasser is the Founder of The Lighthouse, a design centric concept store & restaurant in the Dubai Design District (d3).An art and design enthusiast, he approached The Lighthouse with the same editorial eye he would apply to pieces he admires and collects. Hashem spent over 20 years in finance and the past ten years building successful asset management businesses for EFG-Hermes and Aventicum Capital in Dubai and Doha. He previously worked in New York and London at Merrill Lynch and subsequently JPMorgan. He is a Harvard College graduate with a dual concentration in Economics and Near Eastern Languages and Civilization and obtained his Masters of Business Administration from the Harvard Business School.

About Izuchukwu Ani:

Izuchukwu Ani, also known as Chef Izu, has travelled extensively around Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and the Middle East acquiring knowledge to master his art and becoming well respected for his inspirational creations, cooking style as well as his empowering leadership. Following the launch of the French restaurant, La Petite Maison, Izu set a new standard with the quality of ingredients and made it into The World’s 100 Best Restaurants in less than 2 years after its opening. After the enormous success of La Petite Maison, Chef Izu went on to mastermind one of the most prolific homegrown concepts in Dubai, La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie. This has been a winning formula in the Middle East, receiving many awards such as Pro Chef of the Year and Executive Chef of the Year, both in 2014. Now, with over 25 years of experience, Chef Izu has created YSeventy7, a creative consulting and management agency, specializing in the food and beverage industry. Chef Izu and his team create new concepts using their expertise, creativity, curiosity and passion.

About Joey Ghazal:

Montreal gastropreneur, Joey Ghazal, has developed dozens of popular restaurant and bar concepts across two continents. Most recently Joey opened The MAINE Oyster Bar & Grill, Dubai's first homegrown New England Seaside Brasserie at The DoubleTree Hilton JBR and his latest venture, BARBARY Deli + Cocktail Club at TRYP by Wyndham in Barsha Heights. His multidisciplinary approach has helped him in creating timeless and immersive experiences that always resonate with a sense of event and celebration.

About Sanjay Murthy:

As a co-founder of Figjam, Sanjay Murthy works closely with investors to set strategies and objectives for individual concepts. With more than 25 years’ experience working with international businesses such as Adidas and Tesco, Sanjay’s primary focus is to deliver above and beyond client expectations.

About Shabnum Stumpf:

Shabnum Stumpf is a global marketing and communications expert in the F&B industry who has been connecting restaurant operators with their guests through IT, some science and a lot of smiling. Equipped with 15 years of experience in building sales, developing brands and conducting pre-openings, Shabnum uses her international skill base to drive business, set up successful operations and empower F&B teams with a solid working strategy and plan to increase clientele. More recently, Shabnum, with her Advisory Company, PSBars, has successfully opened F&B concepts around the globe including La Cantine Dubai, 105 Ibiza, Dusty’s, Peyote DIFC & Peyotito at Nobu Hotel Ibiza, as well as supporting multiple other restaurants and businesses in strategic & operational support. Her innovative and particular ability to harness the power of social networks to increase the bottom line has made her a sought after marketing expert. Shabnum is currently in the midst of a new opening in DIFC, BB Social Dining, where she will be showcasing complete turnkey solutions utilizing technology, social media and wifi platforms, as well as serving great food.

About Tom Arnel:

As a result of his extreme passion for cooking, Tom Arnel, originally from Geelong, Australia, moved from Australia to Singapore, Spain, Oman and finally the U.A.E. relentlessly rising through the ranks in the food industry. Early in 2010, Tom moved to Abu Dhabi as the executive chef for an Australian based fine food retailer and restaurant. It was during this role in Dubai that Tom met Serg, and after much research and consideration they decided to branch out on their own and open Tom&Serg, their first café in November 2013. From the success of Tom&Serg came The Sum Of Us, Common Grounds, Encounter Coffee Roastery and Rise&Dawn Bakehouse, as well as two licensed venues, Brunswick Sports Club and Muchachas Mexican Cantina. These venues are all different and embedded with their own personalities, but still built on passion and a common goal of changing the dining scene in Dubai.

About Justin Wells:

Justin Wells is a registered architect who manages the Lifestyle Interiors Sector in the Middle East at Woods Bagot, a global architectural and consulting practice that was founded in Australia. Having taken up Senior roles over 20 plus years of experience, Justin leads exemplary design outcomes in his projects throughout Australasia and the Middle East. Experienced in award winning projects across all sectors of architecture and interior design, Justin’s focus is now on Hospitality and Lifestyle projects. His understanding of crafting long term relationships with owners and operators, is critical in the creative collaboration process. He has an attuned grasp of storytelling and how theatrics and the feeling of a space is paramount in the experience of guest and user. As a hospitality specialist, his reinvention of space and regular planning paradigms are explored to promote uniqueness of design for the client and operator. His affinity with each brand story is critical to this design process. Celebrated in the industry and media for his influence on Mena Hospitality, Justin has recently been accoladed in the top 10 Commercial Interior Designers in the Middle East and is a regular speaker in the region.