InRetail 2008 opens to a grand response

The event, which will be held from 8-10 June at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, features the most prominent global exhibitors in the retail industry, and the response to the opening day exceeded all expectations.

The biggest names in the retail industry from Europe, The USA, the GCC, Africa and India formed the exhibitor profile from shopfitting to visual merchandising, retail design to consultancy and supply chain management to technology. The exhibitors' presence at the event covered the full supply solution to the retail industry. The visitor profile included retailers, mall developers, supermarket management, architects and designers from across the region.

The exceptional turnout was due in no small measure to the fact that InRetail 2008 is the flagship exhibition in a region with a retail sector projected to reach $500bn by the end of the decade. 'InRetail 2008 provides the perfect gateway for companies to enter this lucrative market and for established companies to strengthen their position, and the turnout on day one is proof enough of this' said Paula Al Chami, Exhibition Director of InRetail 2008.

'The GCC will have more than 200 retail developments that will occupy in excess of 11 million square feet of retail space, and the event provides the perfect platform for exhibitors to stay one step ahead of the competition,'

she added.

The event had a fair representation from every major retail market in the world, underlining the global audience it now commands. Michel Taillis, Shopkit, indesign, Schwitzke, Visplay and Wanzl, all prominent players in the vast European market, were amongst the exhibitors vying for attention.

A prominent feature on day one was the beginning of the 'Innovations in Retail' seminars, which will run from the 8th to 10th June alongside InRetail 2008 Exhibition. This series of seminars will feature some of the best minds from the retail supply industry.

The key speakers on day one included Craig Phillipson, Managing Director of Shopworks, Markus Schwitzke, Schwitzke & Partner and Joe Sahyoun, COO Middle East of Crea International. Retail trends in the Middle East, the role of branding and physical brand design were among the topics they elaborated upon.

The prominent speakers on Monday, day two of the event, will include Golzar Sanganian, Interior Designer of Wanzl Middle East, Naeem A. Ghafoor, CEO of Skyline Retail Services Consultancy, Christoph Haiböck, Middle East Director of ShopConsult, Jeremy Baker, General Manager of Ansorg and Joe Sahyoun, COO Middle East of Crea International SRL. Themed retail environments, space management, visual merchandising and retail lighting will be among the topics touched upon.

Tuesday, will feature topics on retail technology and supply chain management in addition to different hot topics on the industry.

InRetail 2008 will open from 10.00 am till 7.00 pm from June 8th till 10th at Hall 7- Dubai International Exhibition Centre.