MEDFA conference to focus on practical lessons
06/11/2009 Delegates to the conference in Dubai on November 23-24 will draw strategic, actionable insights from each session of the annual regional gathering.
This year’s Middle East Duty Free Conference will offer more than words when delegates gather in Dubai on November 23-24. Drawing on lessons from those within the region and from those looking into it, from the duty free industry and from companies beyond it, the event – co-organised by MEDFA and TFWA – will aim to provide real-life strategies that delegates can put into effect in their own businesses.
Among the key presentations at the event, Inspired Leaders Network CEO René Carayol will use high-profile examples to illustrate the mistakes, and the victories, of multinational companies reacting to the current global economic downturn. Drawing on his board level experience at multinational brand and retail companies, Carayol will explain how these lessons can be translated into the regional duty free business.
Al Jazeera journalist Stephen Cole will examine how the effects of the global downturn are being played out in industry and the economy of the MENA region, offering insights that could help businesses navigate the difficult times.
Two panel sessions will approach the regional duty free business from distinct perspectives: in a session entitled ‘Sustainable partnerships: supplier & retailer perspective’, four international companies with interests in the region – Aldeasa, Dufry, Remy Cointreau and Cadbury – will discuss how partnerships have proved crucial to successful business in the region; and another session, ‘Retailing expertise in duty free’, will look at how the capabilities of retailers from within the region – Sharaf Electronics, IDFS and EgyptAir – are contributing to the growth of the market.
The conference will also inspect key markets and pressing issues through further panel sessions, including a discussion on progress in the Indian duty free market and a discussion on the global threat to duty free tobacco sales.
Pre-registration for the MEDFA conference closes on November 16. This year MEDFA and TFWA are offering delegates to the conference savings of up to 30% on the standard delegate fee.
