Regional Perspectives: Qatar Economic Forum

Sport, travel, retail, sustainability and the global economy: just a few of the broad topics discussed at the Qatar Economic Forum in Doha this week.?Organised in collaboration with Bloomberg, the event brought political leaders, global CEOs and experts together to share their perspectives, with many reflecting on the cost of living crisis, war in the Ukraine and potential for global recession.

Here are my five key takeaways from the event:

1. Managing global supply chain is becoming an acute problem in many industries, from keeping Tesla production at levels that meet demand, to maintaining stock at London department store Harrods
2. While hotel demand in 2022 has recovered well, the CEO of Accor thinks that 25% of pre-pandemic business travel is now lost forever, replaced by digital communication and online meetings
3. Boeing believe sustainability in air travel is becoming as important as aircraft efficiency, and predict hydrogen and electric-powered wide-bodied aircraft will be a reality in the second half of the century
4. The infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar is ready, with stadia built, the new metro operational and major road upgrades complete
5. The potential for Africa to contribute to global energy needs is massive, as dependence on Russian oil and gas is reduced across the globe

Bloomberg's Simone Foxman interviews H.E. Hassan Al-Thawadi, Secretary General at Qatar's Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy for the World Cup

Considering these points through the lens of location intelligence:

1. Visualising supply chains digitally to understand connections, inventory levels, suppliers and potential issues is essential.?Using map-based dashboards fed with realtime data enables supply chain managers to spot problems and mitigate potential issues before they occur
2. Indoor GIS can enable hotels to operate more efficiently, from managing maintenance issues to integrating IoT sensors, keyless doors and occupancy levels to provide realtime status to hotel operators
3. Sustainable aircraft need sustainable airports. Using a digital twin to map and visualise airport assets enables simulations to be run, efficiencies to be found and capacities to be increased, meeting sustainability criteria
4. GIS technology has powered decision making across the Qatari government for many years, and has been used to plan and implement the infrastructure upgrade work for the World Cup. During the tournament itself, data from multiple sources will be integrated and visualised to enable situational awareness and monitoring
5. Energy providers in Africa are already leveraging location intelligence to drive efficiencies, monitor assets and enable sustainable decision making

It's clear from the discussions at the forum that there are many opportunities ahead, but also many challenges to overcome in the short term. Technology will be at at the centre of both.

Sessions from the Qatar Economic Forum are available to watch on demand.