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John Sime: Upbeat prospects for the MEDFA conference |
MIDDLE EAST. The Middle East Duty Free Conference is set to attract a record attendance of 500 delegates to Dubai this year, according to MEDFA President John Sime.
The event takes place on 26-27 November at the Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. It will focus on the Middle East’s role in global travel and tourism.
Sime said: “We are living in one of the world’s most dynamic regions, a gateway between east and west. The market grew at +14% year-on-year in 2011, and shows how the region is punching above its weight. At the conference we’ll analyse why this is happening and examine the next phase of growth. Pre-registrations are up by +15% on this stage last year so I would urge delegates to book their travel and hotel rooms now.”
Sime also said that MEDFA was looking to be more active in lobbying governments on regulatory issues. “We want to have a unified approach to lobbying – not always easy when you have different retailers from different countries represented on the board. We are committed to helping retailers to improve the conditions under which they operate. It’s our function to be an ambassador for the business. Everything we do should be supportive of the air transport and tourism industry in our respective countries.”
He added: “We also want to grow our membership, particularly in Africa’s emerging markets so that will be a focus of the year ahead.”
Sime also underlined the association’s support for the Middle East Exclusive exhibition, which runs parallel to the conference in Dubai. “Middle East Exclusive will have around 100 exhibitors and should be a terrific event, with a strong hosted buyers’ programme. The Middle East deserves a good exhibition and we hope all of the retailers in the region will support it. We come to Cannes every year, through a small regional airport (Nice) with very little duty free. There’s every reason why an exhibition in Dubai – one of the global centres of the duty free industry – should work well.
Sime also noted that the 2013 conference will take place in Doha. The Middle East Exclusive event will remain in Dubai. “We will continue to rotate the conference so it’s held one year in Dubai and then elsewhere in the region the next year,” he said. “That won’t necessarily dovetail with the aspirations of the exhibition organisers but we urge people to continue to support it, whether the conference is in Dubai or not.”
The latest programme and details on the MEDFA event can be found at www.tfwa.com
