Mehmet Önkal to Award

ISTANBUL  – Mehmet Önkal, Managing Partner of BDO Hospitality Consulting has been named as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award, to be presented at the Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference (CATHIC).

Selected by the CATHIC advisory board, the Lifetime Achievement Award is presented in recognition of the remarkable contribution Mr. Önkal has made to the region’s hospitality industry throughout his career.

Önkal has over 36 years service in the hospitality industry. In 1978 he joined ITT Sheraton Corporation and held various top management positions, including Regional Controller East Mediterranean, and Vice President Asia Pacific Division. Later, he became GM of Istanbul Princess Hotel and the Princess Hotel Group. He currently serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of BDO Hospitality Consulting and has been a managing partner since 1997. Önkal commented “It is a really important and proud moment for me, to know that the industry recognises my duties as a cnsultant, to be honoured with the CATHIC Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Jonathan Worsley, Chairman of Bench Events and co-organiser of CATHIC, congratulated Önkal on his award. “We are delighted to honour Mehmet with the CATHIC 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award, in recognition of the remarkable contribution he has made to hotel investment in Turkey and surrounding countries. His strategic advice to the investment community has been the bedrock for many of his client's successes."

CATHIC is the region’s leading event for the hotel and tourism investment industry and will take place 9-10 June 2014 at the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel & Conference Center. The Award presentation will take place on 10 June after which Mr, Önkal will share some insights into his achievements in an interview.

About Bench Event

Bench Events has a long track record of delivering, with its partners, the premier hotel investment events across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bench Events’ Chairman, Jonathan Worsley, was one of the founders of the highly successful International Hotel Investment Forum which is now in its eighteenth year (www.berlinconference.com). In 2005, he was responsible for launching the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference in Dubai (www.arabianconference.com); and in 2008 launched the Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference (www.russia-cisconference.com). In 2011 Bench Events added two events to its portfolio, co-hosting the Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference (www.cathic.com) and launching the Africa Hotel Investment Forum which in 2013 was held in Nairobi, Kenya (www.africa-conference.com). In 2014 Bench Events launched the Global Restaurant Investment Forum (www.restaurant-invest.com) in Dubai to great acclaim

Bench Events recently supported the Kenyan Red Cross following the Westgate Mall shootings and the anti-poaching efforts of the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. In 2014, Bench Events will be undertaking to set a world record by playing cricket on top of Mt Kilimanjaro. Contact Matt Weihs on matthew.weihs@benchevents.com for more information. www.benchevents.com

About Questex Media Group LLC

Questex Hospitality + Travel, the largest multimedia organization in the world dedicated to hospitality and travel, drives revenue, productivity and value creation for these related industries through strategic investment and deal-making forums, powerful lead-generation tools, interactive online business solutions, world-class events and industry-leading publications.

Questex Hospitality + Travel operates throughout the United States and Americas regions, EMEA and Asia/Pacific through a variety of market-leading properties and services including International Hotel Investment Forum (IHIF) Berlin, North America Hotel & Tourism Investment Conference, Asia Pacific Hotel Investment Conference, Asia Pacific Tourism Destination Investment Conference, Brasil Hospitality Investment Conference, Russia & CIS Hotel Investment Conference, Turkey & Neighbours Hotel Investment Conference, HOTEC Design North America and HOTEC Operations & Technology North America; lead generation portal HotelManagement.net; industry news delivery services in print, online and mobile worldwide via IHIF: Hotel Investment News along with Hotel Management and HA+D magazines. www.questex.com.