Direct Marketing 2005, Middle East's first dedicated conference for the direct marketing industry, opens in Dubai

The event will provide direction for converting challenges into strategies for a faster development of the direct marketing industry in the Arab world where just about 2 per cent of the total advertising spend goes to direct marketing, up against over 56 per cent in the United States and Europe. The key challenges that will be highlighted include the lack of tabulated data and lifestyle research and the absence of an industry association that could provide guidelines and self-regulatory practices.

"The Arab world lags behind in the use of direct marketing as a tool for enhancing marketing campaigns," said Steven Jones, Conference Director for event organisers IIR. "The truth is that modern direct marketing techniques are ideal for the Middle East, especially when most marketing campaigns in the region are one dimensional, generally using advertisements as a route to market. Direct Marketing 2005 has been created to address all critical issues that have hampered the growth of direct marketing in the region."

A host of speakers will talk about the fast-paced growth of Direct Marketing globally and identify the factors that have hampered its development in the Middle East. Vital issues including direct marketing through mobile phones, building strong customer ties without expensive CRM software, marketing through Information Technology, strategies for building customer loyalty and marketing strategies targeting the youth market, will be discussed.

Other highlights of the conference include, insights from John Quarrey, President, Arc Worldwide, Europe, Middle East and Asia, UK, who will demonstrate how attractive offers need to be delivered through the right channel to the right customers, with real-life examples of successful high-yield programmes and how segmentation could be used to drive and prioritise specific offers.

Abdullah Sultan Al Fan, Assistant Director General, Emirates Post, will highlight how postal strengths, including the P.O. Box network, could be used to build a strong direct marketing channel to offer unmatched and measurable solutions to marketers, with case studies of some key clients.

Dave Battiston, General Manager, Air Miles, UAE, will talk about the importance of measuring and analyzing results as part of an essential but highly complex part of any marketing campaign.

"One of the prime objectives of the conference is to lay the seed for launching the region's own direct marketing association that will drive industry growth as well as provide guidelines," continued Jones. "This will provide the real stimulus for concerted efforts to introduce global best practice into the region's direct marketing campaigns."

Keynote addresses will be delivered by industry heavyweights, such as Paul Gostick, International Chairman of the world's largest professional body for marketing -the Chartered Institute for Marketing (CIM), Charles Prescott, Vice President International Business and Government Affairs, of the New York based Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and Alastair Tempest, Director General of the Brussels based Federation of European Direct and Interactive Marketing (FEDMA).