Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad bin Saif Al Sharqi inaugurates Fourth Annual Digital Consumer Channel event in Fujairah

Organised by DISTREE Events, the organiser of leading Information Communications Technologies (ICT) events in the EMEA region, DCC MEA will run from 19 to 21 May 2008 at Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort in Fujairah.

'We strive to refresh and develop the event format to ensure that it remains both relevant and productive to all the attendees,' said Farouk Hemraj, CEO and co-founder of DISTREE Events. 'This year we have added several new product categories which has attracted over 50% new vendors. We have also seen an upswing in the number of retailers that have registered to attend the event this year.'

In addition to its popular one-on-one meetings, boardroom presentations, talk shows, and '60 second to convince' program, DCC MEA is introducing the Retail Academy for the first time this year. This is a series of special workshops and panel discussions on new trends and best practices in the Middle East's changing consumer electronics market segment. The Academy will be hosted on the final day (21st May).

DCC MEA will also be the launch platform for the region's first Retail Academy Awards that aim to recognise some the leaders and key contributors to the growth and development of the retail segment of the ICT convergence sector that covers PCs, TVs, mobile phones, peripherals and accessories. The awards will cover 14 categories, 8 for vendors, 5 for retailers and one for retail distributors. The winners from a short list will be voted live on the 20th at a gala dinner.

DCC MEA is supported in its fourth year by Samsung as the platinum sponsor; AMD, Lexmark, Panasonic, and Western Digital as Gold sponsors; HP, Mio, Metra Computers, Port, and SanDisk as Silver sponsors. Technical equipment like wireless services, printers are being provided by the event's Technical Partners - Altec Lansing, Netgear, Epson, and Lexmark.