More than 160 senior executives from retailers, e-tailers and online marketplaces have already confirmed their participation at DISTREE Middle East, which takes place from May 8-10th at the Meydan Hotel in Dubai. The three-day event allows consumer tech vendors and brands to showcase their portfolio and pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with retail channel executives from across the wider Middle East region.
“By inviting retailers, e-tailers and marketplaces from Africa and the CIS to also attend this year, we are delivering an extra value-add for exhibitors at this year’s DISTREE Middle East,” explained Liam McSherry, Marketing Director at DISTREE Events. “The opportunity to meet so many senior consumer tech retail executives from 20-plus countries in one place at one time offers huge return on investment (ROI) potential for this year’s exhibitors.”
A selection of African retailers from across the continent will be in Dubai to meet vendors and distributors, and to discuss new retail channel business opportunities. This includes delegates from Angola, Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria as well as other important African markets.
“There are strong trading links between the Middle East and African markets, related to the consumer tech market,” added McSherry. “By uniting vendors, distributors, retailers and e-tailers, we hope to drive the further development of the channel ecosystems that will lead to the continued growth and development of African markets.”
North African retailers will also be present at DISTREE Middle East, as well as delegates from the event’s traditional core Middle East markets, including the GCC and Levant regions. As well as hypermarkets and specialist consumer tech retailers, an increasing number of e-tailers and online marketplaces will attend this year’s event.
“We’re seeing new business models emerging around e-tail and online marketplaces in the Middle East,” added McSherry. “The participation of companies such as Awok, Digikala, Letstango, Souq and Whoopey at DISTREE Middle East is very important, allowing vendors, distributors and physical retailers to talk to these companies and understand how these new consumer tech channel ecosystems will develop.”
Hypermarkets and supermarkets including the likes of Carrefour, Lulu and Nesto in the Middle East -and even Hiper Kero from Angola – form part of the retailer delegate base. Specialist tech retailers from across the region are sending buyers and senior executives to DISTREE Middle East 2017. Companies such as Book City, Electro, Emax, Jumbo, Leaders, Sharaf DG, Plug-Ins, Virgin, X-Cite and many others will ensure that exhibitors have productive meetings with a wide range of retailers from across the region.
“We encourage all retailers, e-tailers and online marketplaces involved in the regional consumer tech channel to apply to attend DISTREE Middle East 2017 if they have not done so already,” added McSherry. “This is not a traditional trade show. It is a highly focused event that allows the entire consumer tech channel community to gather, discuss current market issues and formulate new business ideas.”
DISTREE Middle East 2017 unites consumer technology brands with the regional go-to-market ecosystem. Participants can pre-schedule one-on-one meetings with other delegates attending the event, enabling them to target specific markets or channels for their product portfolio.
