AHEAD, the Awards for Hospitality Experience and Design, organised by Sleeper Media and supported by Global Founder Sponsor, Grohe, has opened for entries in the Middle East and Africa region.

Projects eligible for participation must be located within the MEA region and need to have opened, reopened or launched between January 2019 and February 2020. Entries are created online via the AHEAD website and entrants have until Thursday 30 April to submit their work.

The judging panel will be looking for projects that display exceptional design and functionality, catering to both the client and guests’ needs while also demonstrating commercial viability.

The entered categories are: Bar, Club or Lounge; Event Spaces; Guestrooms; Landscaping & Outdoor Spaces; Lobby & Public Spaces; Lodges, Cabins & Tented Camps; Resort Hotel; Restaurant; Spa & Wellness; Suite; Transport; and Visual Identity. Other awards include New Concept and AHEAD MEA Hotel of the Year, the winners of which are selected by the judging panel.

Winners will be announced at the AHEAD MEA ceremony, taking place on Monday 9 November at Caesars Forum, Bluewaters Island in Dubai. The results will also be published across AHEAD and Sleeper’s websites and will feature in our digital media partner’s website and newsletter, Dezeen Daily.

Early bird tickets for the ceremony are currently available until the end of June and can be purchased via AHEAD’s booking page.

AHEAD covers four regions: Asia, Americas, Middle East and Africa (MEA), and Europe. An annual awards scheme will take place in each region throughout 2019 and 2020. The awards will culminate in an AHEAD Global event set to take place in 2021, which will see the winners of the eight regional heats compete head-to-head to decide a worldwide winner in each category.

www.aheadawards.com