The future of Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region’s retail sector will be discussed at a conference in Dubai, UAE next month.


RECon 2014 Mena, the pre-eminent educational and networking conference for the region’s retail industry, will gather shopping centre owners and industry professionals, retailers and service providers for a series of workshops, sessions and panel discussions.


RECon 2014 will be held at the Ritz Carlton Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) from October 12 to 14.

Conceived jointly by Middle East Council for Shopping Centres (MECSC) and International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC), RECon is the only forum in the region customised optimally to suit industry needs where industry stalwarts converge to discuss business trends and best practices.

This year’s edition of RECon witnesses the 20th year anniversary of the MECSC, which will be marked by a myriad of special milestones that will celebrate the council’s history of growing and supporting the Mena region’s retail sector.
Pre-conference workshops scheduled on October 12, have been designed to offer participants the opportunity to learn new skills and enhance knowledge to grow businesses. As many as six half-day workshops covering a gamut of topics from retail to strategic brand enhancement have been lined up for industry members and conference delegates.

David Macadam, CEO of MECSC, said: “We are absolutely thrilled about the sessions that we will be staging at this year’s RECon. From strategy and brand management to personal style, our attendees will definitely find plenty of opportunities to enrich their knowledge through input from some of the key players in the business.”

Douglas Stephen, known as the Retail Futurist, is a keynote speaker at RECon 2014 where he will hold an interactive session on redefining retail and the rise of consumerism.

Kelly Lundberg, founder of Styling Agency StyleMeDivine.com, will lend her expert tips and practical tools to maximize personal styling aligned with company brand values and skills to build rapport with customers.

Paul Fetscher, president of Greater American Brokerage, will be delving into the psychology, technology, and morphology in Food service.

Artin Malatjalian, general manager at Red Sea Mall will share his industry experience in strategic thinking and brand management while Patricia Norins, publisher and vice president of specialty programs at ICSC, will give insights on visual merchandising, networking ideas and creative strategies to derive more out of businesses. Brett Schafer, CEO of DIFC Properties, will share a detailed report on shopping centre development fundamentals in the Mena region. – TradeArabia News Service