Distree Events returns with key vendors and IT retailers in MENA to Fujeirah for third Digital Consumer Channel

The event will once again bring together key IT retailers from around the region with top international vendors in the IT and digital consumer products sectors over three days.

"This year we have changed the format of the event, providing more time for vendors and retailers to have one-on-one meetings with each other," said Farouk Hemraj, CEO and co-founder of DISTREE Events. "Last year we had an impressive number of 700+ pre-scheduled meetings that took place during the course of the event, and we expect this number to increase this year with the new format."

In response to feedback from attending retailers and vendors, DCC will also host workshops where key channel issues will be addressed, vendor boardroom presentations. Vendors also have the opportunity to use their creative side to convince retailers to vote for their product in two categories for new technology and innovation within use 60 seconds.

Benq, Lexmark, Logitech, Toshiba and Western Digital were among the vendors who were present at the 2006 event along with the top retailers such as Carrefour, CompuME, Geant, Jarir Book Store and Sharaf DG. In 2007, interest for the event has expanded to include more peripherals and IT/consumer electronics convergence vendors.

"Our research has consistently shown us that senior decision-makers greatly prefer attending focused and private events like DCC because it offers them the perfect combination of the privacy and comfort of a high-level conference and the breadth of a trade show," pointed out Frederic Simard, co-founder of Distree Events. "We remove all the organisational and logistical burdens, leaving both the vendors and the retailers free to concentrate on what they do best - focus on business."

Retailers attending DCC-MEA cover the full spectrum of the digital consumer channel including computer chain stores, mobile chain stores, photo equipment stores, electrical specialists, mass merchants, hypermarket chains and independent outlets.

Ali Mansour, Head of Purchasing for United Electronics Co, Saudi Arabia, one of the key retailers that attended DCC last year said, "We thought that it would be a PR visit but it turned out to be one of the most productive three days business trips we ever had."

Sherif Khattab, Regional Manager, Al Jassim, Saudi Arabia attended DCC last year and also recommends the events to the retailers in the region. "DCC was a great networking and informative event for Al Jassim, we met a lot of vendors who were interested in doing business in the region. This type of "valuable" time would have been very difficult to attain if we had to visit a traditional trade show," pointed out Sherif.