Dubai Shopping Festival hogs limelight as WTM 2007 concludes

Trade visitors, including travel and tour professionals, property owners, and delegates of various countries met with the DSF delegation to know more on the coming edition of DSF.

The delegation comprised of Laila Suhail, DSF Chief Strategy Officer; Khulood Al Thani, DSF Marketing Manager; Abdulla Amiri, DSF Senior Services and Operations Coordinator, and Haitham Al Bousaide, DSF Media Relations Coordinator.

Laila Suhail, also the head of the delegation, said, "Participating in WTM this year as an independent exhibitor proved to be the right decision as we could highlight DSF as a successful global brand while communicating directly to a wide spectrum of trade visitors and tourists. The main goal through this participation was to reach out to our target audiences with the key DSF messages and we were extremely successful in this endeavour. Additionally, we were able to provide ample information on DSF 2008 and the new strategy in place for the future editions."

Zaafar Oneir, a Turkish entrepreneur who owns a travel company called Holiday 4 All, expressed his admiration for the DSF stand and remarked that it reflected the colourful vibrant nature of the festival. "DSF has become a trademark in the global entertainment and shopping industry and as a company owner, I receive numerous enquiries on Dubai and DSF. This exhibition is important for travel professionals because it gets together the big players in the industry and DSF is certainly one among them," he said.

Similarly, Mohammed Assayed, owner of several hotels and furnished apartments in Manama, Bahrain, said he was a frequent visitor to DSF and the Dubai Summer Surprises. "I take full advantage of the proximity of UAE to come down to Dubai during DSF and DSS and also because I have relatives staying in the city. I make it a point to bring my family along every time I come, especially since they love the shopping and entertainment in Dubai."

Trade visitors from as far as Australia were also present in the exhibition. One such visitor, Andrew Geils, an Australian and the manager of a travel and tourism company in Melbourne, said that having lived in Dubai for three years, the DSF stand was a welcome sight at the WTM. "The three years I lived in Dubai were the best years of my life and I had the opportunity to see DSF in 2002, 2003, and 2004."

Also a professional travel and tourism expert, Andrew said the travel industry had realized the ability of DSF and DSS to attract tourists from around the world. He remarked favourably on the DSF stand and highlighted its visitor-friendly nature and easy access to information and said that he was more than eager to know what DSF 2008 has in store.

Yasser Kamel, owner of a sound and light company in Egypt, commented that DSF 2008 would finally be his chance to see the festival. "I've missed all the editions of DSF due to busy work schedules but I've made up my mind to come to Dubai during DSF 2008. Volunteers at the stand have provided me with some valuable information on how to plan my trip to Dubai during DSF," he said.

Sarah Newburn, a student of the Huddersfield Technical College in Yorkshire, England, and currently specializing in event and exhibition management, expressed her interest in DSF and said she had heard so much about the festival from friends that she was now planning to visit Dubai after her graduation. "I was extremely impressed with the DSF stand and it stood out from the rest of the booths in the exhibition with the design on the outside and the technology inside," she said.

Another attraction in the stand was the presence of Modhesh, the ever-smiling mascot of Dubai Summer Surprises. Curious visitors were seen clicking photographs with the cheerful mascot as he went about his routine meet and greet sessions, which in turn drew more attention and enquiries to the popular summer event.

DSF 2008 will be held between January 24 and February 24, 2007, providing visitors with 32 days of non-stop festivities. The theme of the coming edition, the 'Fifth Season', symbolizes DSF as a season of its own, a stand-out period of excitement characterized by shopping, winning, and family entertainment.