28 March 2017
Conference held under theme 'Reimagining the Customer Experience'

H.E Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber, reaffirms the importance of the retail sector as one of the cornerstones of Dubai's economic growth

Conference held from 4-6 April 2016 at the Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

The Agenda can be found at: worldretailcongress.com

Dubai, UAE: The 11th edition of The World Retail Congress (WRC) held under the Patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has announced its three day programme, taking place from 4-6 April at Madinat Jumeriah in Dubai.

Continuing its partnership with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the theme of this year’s World Retail Congress is ‘Reimagining the customer experience’, bringing together the leaders of the global retail industry from the greatest retail icons to the most innovative start-ups and disruptors; from national market leaders to the most international. The Congress will provide the insight to help shape the retail future and show retailers how to meet the needs of their consumers in this era of rapid change. It is an unrivalled international annual gathering of retail leaders that delivers powerful connections and an unmissable sense-check on where the industry is heading.

Commenting, Ian McGarrigle, Chairman, World Retail Congress, said ‘’It is with great pleasure that we return to Dubai for the 11th edition of the World Retail Congress, building on the success of last year’s event. At a time where retailing is becoming more competition both on and offline we thought it was vital to explore this year’s theme of ‘Reimagining the customer experience’. Together, we aim to empower our attendees with the knowledge and inspiration from our industry leading speakers so that they can find that unique advantage to attract customers, as delivering great customer experience is emerging as one of the most important differentiators of modern global retail. We look forward to welcome everyone to the Congress next month.’

H.E Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber, commented “After the tremendous success of the 10th World Retail Congress in Dubai, the Chamber is very pleased to host the 11th edition here again.  This year’s theme is very topical and reflects the changes in the retail sector, especially the growing trend of e-commerce. More so, Dubai’s retail market is forecasted to surpass $52 billion in sales by 2020 with average annual growth of more than 8 percent. Dubai Chamber has been cognizant of the developments in this dynamic sector and therefore, we believe, there couldn’t be a better time and place to discuss these developments and hear thought-provoking and engaging presentations, from the experts, about what opportunities await us.

Across the three day conference, 1,500 attendees will have the chance to hear from over 130 leading retail and industry experts. This year, after the opening address from H.E. Sultan Al Mansouri, the UAE’s Minister of Economy and His Excellency Majid Saif Al Ghurair, Chairman of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Hall of Fame Inductee and Chairman of Macy’s Inc, Terry J Lundgren will begin the talks with his predictions on ‘The Future of Retail’.

Highlights from the three days of workshops and thought-provoking talks include the presentation, ‘Managing a global portfolio’ by Manny Chirico, Chairman & CEO of PVH Corp and a panel discussion on ‘The future of luxury: The international opportunity, the digital challenge’ by Ravi Thakran, Group President of LVMH for South & South East Asia and Middle East, and Rohit Bal, Founder of Rohit Bal, plus the talk entitled ‘A new era of experiential retailing: Beyond the selling of ‘stuff’ from Jo Malone, Founder of Jo Malone and Jo Loves,  Stephan Fanderl, CEO of Karstadt, Arrigo Berni, CEO of  Moleskine and Katya Atanasova, VP Commercial Fleet of Shell Retail.

During the Congress numerous pieces of coverage will be published, such as the Global Retail Sentiment Index collated by the Monash Business, which aims to help the attendees plan their forthcoming retail strategy. Similarly, the Congress also provides its participants with important networking events, with dedicated networking sessions each day, plus private sessions such as The International Women in Retail Networking Event, which will be hosted by the founder of Jo Malone and Jo Loves, Jo Malone, and attended by Zyda Rylands, CEO of Woolworths, whilst IBM will also be hosting a VIP dinner.

Having returned to Dubai for the second time, the World Retail Congress is sponsored by a number of key local companies, including Majid Al Futtaim as a key sponsor, Magrabi as an annual partner, Al Maryah Central, Al Futtaim and The Apparel Group as 5 Star partners, and The Chalhoub Group as a 3 Star partner. 

About World Retail Congress
The World Retail Congress, part of i2i Events Group portfolio, was launched in 2007, to be a platform for senior retail executives to meet and discuss the most important topics affecting retailers across the world. It has been held in Barcelona (2007-9), Berlin (2010-11), London (2012), Paris (2013-14), Rome (2015) and Dubai (2016) and is attended by up to 1,000 industry leaders from more than 60 countries.

The official event partner of the World Retail Congress is the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry

For more information please visit https://www.worldretailcongress.com/

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For further information please contact:
Tara Mallon
tmallon@bellpottinger.com / +97144336111

Or Yasmine Kassem
ykassem@bellpottinger.com / +97143751527

About i2i Events Group
i2i Events Group delivers world-class exhibitions and large scale events in key sectors including home and gift, fashion, retail, healthcare, energy, environment, education, technology and media. Its portfolio of world-wide events includes World Retail Congress, Bett, Spring Fair International, RWM, CWIEME and Pure London. It prides itself on opening up possibilities for its customers and each year brings more than 260,000 decision makers together to network, source, test, buy and sell brilliant products, services, ideas and solutions. The company is headed up by Mark Shashoua who joined EMAP as Group MD of EMAP Connect in November 2011 and became CEO of i2i Events Group in March 2012. i2i Events Group is powered by Top Right Group, formerly known as Emap International Ltd.

About Dubai Chamber
Established in 1965, Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry has been active within Dubai’s business community for over 50 years. A non-profit public entity, Dubai Chamber supports Dubai’s vision as a global player by empowering businesses, providing innovative value added services and access to influential networks. Its mission is to represent, support and protect the interests of the business community in Dubai by creating a favourable business environment, supporting the development of business, and by promoting Dubai as an international business hub. For more information visit:  www.dubaichamber.com

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Disclaimer:  All facts and figures in this release are accurate at the time of issuance.

© Press Release 2017