The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres hosts the largest retail conference in the region; themed “Future Proof Retail” in line with the shopping centre and retail industry which are continuously changing and evolving, driven by a new, dynamic, global transformation providing service, connectivity and convenience for customers. The Conference began on 28th of October with preconference workshops, launch of Souks to Malls leading up to a line up of retails most notable speakers at the conference on the 29th of October.
The final day of the conference began with a welcome note from MECSC’s CEO David Macadam, along with Master of Ceremonies Rania Ali. The day progressed to the first keynote address by Kate Ancketill, who is the driving force behind her business GDR Creative Intelligence based in London and New York. She is one of the world’s top trend forecasters for retailers, retail technology and product brands. Followed by a keynote address by Dr. Tommy Weir, he joins us from Dubai where he heads up EMLC. A sensational keynote speaker at a past RECON Conference, Dr. Tommy has 20 years’ experience in leadership research and coaching CEOs with data science. The speaking sessions were concluded with an engaging discussion lead by David Macadam – CEO MECSC & Alessandro Gaffuri – CEO of CELS Group on Heart of a Community – Relationships based on strong emotions for venues where culture, art, food, music and entertainment truly engage the community.
As the evening progressed, the ballroom of the Ritz Carlton – DIFC was transformed to a glittering gala dinner with awards glowing in gold as the nominees brimmed with excitement, waiting eagerly for the show to begin. The spectacular Awards & Dinner Gala honored the most outstanding achievers in Marketing, Retail & Design from the MENA region.
David Macadam – CEO of MECSC says, “Every year at RECon, the Awards Gala is the most anticipated event of the conference and we are truly proud to celebrate excellence & offer recognition to our finest brands & individuals in the Retail & Shopping Mall industry in MENA.”
The MECSC/ICSC MENA Gold Award winners under Traditional Marketing & Advertising category include, Festival Of Flavours at Dubai Festival City Mall from Dubai, UAE; For Cause Related Marketing the winners included Mosaic Of Wishes by The Mall at World Trade Center and Yas Mall from Abu Dhabi UAE; Let’s Read Library by Oman Avenues Mall from Muscat, Oman; For Customer Service Experience and/or Engagement the winner was MOE Active Fitness Program by Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE; For Digital & Social Media category the winner was Festival City Kids Club by Dubai Festival City Mall in Dubai, UAE; For Grand Opening, Expansion & Renovation the winner was Exuberance by Al Kout Mall from Kuwait City, Kuwait; For New Emerging Technology the winner was City of Imagination by City Centre Bahrain from Manama, Bahrain; For Public Relations the winners were Chinese New Year 2018 Celebrations by The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Fashion Hits Home by Yas Mall in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; For Sales Promotions & Events the winner was Black & White Formula 1 Sale by Yas Mall in Yas Island, Abu Dhabi; Under NOI Enhancement for Marketing & Sponsorship the winner was Celebrity Buzz at Dalma Mall with Megastar Mammootty by Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Operations/Overall Team the winner was Snow City at Al Othaim Mall Rabwa by Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Under the category of Design & Development – New Developments the winner was Al Kout Mall in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Under Renovations/Expansions category the winner was Panorama Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; For Retail Store Design the winners included Marina Home Interiors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Urban RetrEAT Restaurant in Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Retail Excellence under Entertainment, Music & Leisure the winner was Fabyland at Al Rashid Mall in Abha, Saudi Arabia; The Best Retail MENA award went to Mikyajy Glamour Girl at Mikyajy Arabian Center in Dubai, UAE; The Retail Professional of the Year was awarded to Fouad A. AL-Rashed the CEO of Asala Holding Company from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and the Best New Technology in Retail went to AKYASI Services LLC from Dubai, UAE.
The MECSC/ICSC Silver Award winners under Traditional Marketing & Advertising category include, Fashion Illustrator Megan Hess by The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Cause Related Marketing the winners include Flag of Unity at Arabian Centre in Dubai, UAE; Disney Magical Wishing Well: Ramadan 2018 at Dubai Festival City Mall in Dubai, UAE; Art From the Heart by Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE; Islamic Museum at The Mall at World Trade Center and Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Customer Service Experience and/or Engagement the winners include The Cooking Daze – Cooking has Turned Digital at City Centre Deira & City Centre Ajman in UAE; UAE National Anthem Resonates at Dalma Mall & in Every Heart – ISHY BILADI at Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE; Guinness World Record Live at Dana Mall in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia; Canvas of Achievements at Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE; For Digital & Social Media category the winners included Digital Take-Off by Al Kout Mall in Kuwait City, Kuwait; BurJuman’s Social Tree at BurJuman Centre in Dubai, UAE; SIMPLY Influencing Dubai in Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE; For New Emerging Technology the winner Catch The Emoji-The Emoji Augmented Reality Game at City Centre Deira in Dubai, UAE; For Public Relations the winner was Winter Wonderland at The Galleria on Al Maryah Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Sales Promotions & Events the winners include RoboFun-Shaping the Future Leaders by City Centre Deira in Dubai, UAE; MOE Fashion Live by Mall of the Emirates in Dubai, UAE; Red Sea Mall Cup at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; For NOI Enhancement Leasing the winner was “Every Nook n Corner” – Efficient Utilisation of Unexploited Spaces by Dalma Mall in Abu Dhabi, UAE; For Marketing/Sponsorships the winners included CFCM World Cup Arena – Welcome to Mini Russ by Cairo Festival City Mall in New Cairo, Egypt; Sharjah’s Lifestyle Destination by Zero 6 Mall in Sharjah, UAE; Under Design & Development’s new development winners included Riyadh Park Mall in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Tilal Al Naseem – The Souk in Makkah, Saudi Arabia; Zero 6 Mall in Sharjah, UAE; For Retail Store Design the winners included Harvey Nichols at Doha Festival City in Doha, Qatar; Optifashion in Dubai, UAE; White Robata in Kuwait City, Kuwait; Under Retail Excellence category for Entertainment, Music and Leisure the winner was Sparky’s Panorama at Panorama Mall in Riyadh, UAE; For Restaurants the winner was Burger Boutique in Dubai, UAE; The Best MENA Retail Brand award went to Al Hokair Time Rabwa in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Fabyland in Dubai Festival City Mall in Dubai, UAE; Slider Station in Manama Bahrain; For the Best New Technology the winners were ESL.inclusive by umdasch in Dubai, UAE; Nearbuy Group in Dubai, UAE & Yardi Systems Ltd in Dubai, UAE.
 at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC, Dubai, UAE){kind=link}