The world’s biggest brands and businesses are still failing to tap into the trillion-dollar Muslim lifestyle market, according to the UK’s first B2B conference discussing the fast-growing sector.

Over 150 businesses took part in MLE Connect in London, which discussed and showcased how the Muslim lifestyle sector has grown and evolved over the last decade.

Alongside recognised brands such as Tesco, Asda and Ogilvy Noor, the event brought together businesses, sector experts, entrepreneurs, investors and industry specialists from across the UK.

The conference featured seminars from industry experts, panel discussions and networking sessions across a number of sectors such as fashion, food and drink, travel, media and finance. It is the first event of its kind ever held in the UK.

According to the latest statistics, the Muslim consumer lifestyle market is today one of the fastest growing sectors globally, with a recent report estimating the global expenditure on food and lifestyle sectors at $1.7 trillion.

The UK is now seen as a key market for the Muslim lifestyle sector with brands and businesses from the Middle East and Far East keen to connect with consumers.

Tahir Mirza, founder and director of MLE Connect, said: “The entire conference was designed to stimulate debate about how the Muslim lifestyle sector has evolved and how to capitalise going forward.”

“The quality of the speakers and attendees provided a great backdrop to engage this topic further and we were delighted with the success of the conference and how well it was received. We are now looking forward to the Muslim Lifestyle Expo in October in Manchester and putting brands and businesses in front of Muslim consumers,” he added.

Guest speakers at MLE Connect 2016 included Sultan Choudhry, CEO of Al Rayan Bank; Altaf Alim, commercial director of modest fashion brand Aab; Shelina Janmohammed, vice president of marketing agency Ogilvy Noor; award winning TV producer Navid Akhtar; and Moe Nawaz, mentor and strategic advisor to FTSE 100 Leaders.

This year, Muslim Lifestyle Expo 2016 takes place on October 29-30 at Event City in Manchester.

The 2015 event brought together 7,000 visitors from across the UK and 85 exhibitors from countries including Malaysia, Norway, Turkey, USA and South Africa. Earlier this year, the Expo won the Services in Creativity and Technology category at The British Muslim Awards 2016. – TradeArabia News Service