Retail Congress MENA 2019’s first day of the conference on was packed with high energy and focus on “Technology”, the sessions were presented by global thought leaders and experts to a full house of delegates coming from across the MENA to attend the largest retail focused conference in the region.
David Macadam – CEO, MECS+R says, “The best and the brightest minds from the retail industry are in Dubai for the Retail Congress 2019, this year the conference sheds light on the latest trends, technology and innovations shaping the industry.”
The first day of the conference on Monday 28th of October started with a welcome address by David Macadam – CEO MECS+R, Richard Dean – Dubai Eye, Younus Al Mulla – Chariman of MECS+R & Mazen Qandeel – Board President of MECS+R; the keynote speech was by David Rowan – Former Editor in Chief of Wired’s UK and author of Non-Bullshit Innovation: Radical Ideas from the World’s Smartest Minds (Transworld, 2019), a global quest for bold corporate innovation in the face of technology-led disruption; David’s taken 130 flights in the past year to investigate the companies and entrepreneurs changing our world and has spent time with the founders of WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Google, Didi, Spotify, Xiaomi, Nest, Twitter and countless other ambitious startups from Tel Aviv to Shenzhen. His presentation highlighted the current and future trends in the world of consumer insights and consumer behavior.
The keynote speech was followed by a Panel discussion by Leading technology companies discussing formats how the technology behind payment choices, fintech accelerator programs, biometrics used to build customer loyalty and how technology especially AI now reaches every touchpoint in the retail journey, this panel included Richard Dean – from Dubai Eye, Sayra Berirmen – Digital Innovation Director at Al Farwaniya Property Developments LLC (Reem Mall), Owen Farrow – Leader Consumer Industry from IBM ME & Asma Shabab – Strategy Consultant IBM ME, Africa & Turkey. The next session was by Dina Sinadi – Head of Greenhouse from Chaloub, she shared Chalhoub Group’s new groundbreaking initiative in the retail world called “Greenhouse” where retail mentors link with digital experts; followed by a session by David Allison – Founder of Valuegraphics discussing on how you can predict and influence the behavior of your customers and audience by managing Big Data; the first day of the conference ended with a session by David Blair – Global CEO of Fitch who shared his insight on “Designing the Future – Online, Offline and In Person”.
Other highlights of this year’s conference include Deal Making sessions. Last year alone, there were more than 600+ successful meetings conducted at the Deal Making sessions. This year the council aims to exceed last year’s connections.
Retail Congress MENA:
Date – 27th – 29th October 2019
Venue – Ritz Carlton Hotel, DIFC, Dubai, UAE
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