Distree Daily Middle East Day 1

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Show dates: 20-22 May 2014, Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi | Day 1

Making your presence count Mita Srinivasan, Director, Market Buzz, shares quick pointers on how to make the most of DISTREE Middle East Positioned as an exclusive invitation-only event, DISTREE Middle East attracts the senior executives and top retail buyers from across the region. The efficiency of the event format, coupled with the chance to meet senior executives from both existing and potential suppliers, makes DISTREE Middle East a ‘must attend’ event for all those involved in the retail channel.

DISTREE Middle East offers a wide range of value-added benefits for delegates and is far removed from a traditional technology conference or trade show. Focused on retail channels for technology and consumer electronics products, DISTREE Middle East brings vendors and distributors face-to-face with the senior executives and buyers from the region’s top retailers and e-tailers.

In short, unless you are in the industry, you don’t get an invite.

You need to meet specific criteria to receive an invitation. Because it’s such a focused event, there are a few things exhibitors and delegates 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 4

20th May 2014 Sessions of interest 18:00-18:30

GfK Keynote: Technology trends 2014 – new growth opportunities in MEA

Farouk Hemraj, CEO, DISTREE Events

Creating alliances DISTREE Middle East 2014, in its 10th edition, is all set to kick off this month from 20th to 22nd May at Fairmont Bab Al Bahr, Abu Dhabi. Farouk Hemraj, CEO, DISTREE Events, discusses what the attendees can expect.

What are some of the unique features of DISTREE Middle East scheduled to take place in May? There are quite a few unique features, beginning with the fact that the format is focused, it is only by invitation. We are not aiming at a large number of

visitors like how a trade show would do. This is where we are different.

We know from the beginning that we have X number of invitations for the retailers. As we are selective, we need to focus and target decision makers within the channel.

The primary objective is to create a platform where vendors and distributors can meet with the retailers in an appropriate format. This is why we host our events in 5-star hotels instead of big exhibition halls because the number of people is limited. It’s 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

18:30 – 19:30

Live@DISTREE

19:30-20:00

Exclusive: Redington & Motorola channel launch

21st May 2014 Block your diary 8:45-9:30

Fresh: A first look at new technology & Wearables LIVE

10:40-11:00

Keynote: How iBeacons can change Retail

11:10-13:00

Retail Academy Sessions (Contd. Pg 4)

14:00-16:00

Retail-to-Business (R2B) Summit Only by invitation

16:10-19:20

Retail Academy Sessions

20:30-1:00

MERA: 2014 Awards

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Creating... only the people who make the market and that adds further value. It fits the need of different categories of vendors.

Sometimes with events like GITEX, you miss out on a lot of people who are potentially looking for you.

They need to do in-depth research to identify who will be relevant whereas here we do all the research beforehand.

The third factor is that the meetings are pre-scheduled. Both parties are ready for the meetings because they have the access to the profile of the other party. It’s not a chance meeting. In our approach, exhibitors and visitors know who they are meeting and how they can help in their business.

You also have awards on the last day, could you elaborate on that?

We have two different types of awards. The first one is product

related, which is linked to our programme called, ‘60 seconds to convince’, where vendors can go on stage and present a new product for one minute, after which there is live voting to select the best product of the event.

We also have an industry award, which is called Middle East Retail Academy (MERA) Awards.

This is evaluated based on the vendors’, retailers’ and distributors’ performance for the whole year. Our awards are unique because it is truly transparent. There is a list of top five finalists for each category and then there is live voting. This happens on the last day, during the gala dinner.

Could you discuss about the visitors’ and exhibitors’ profile?

We have 99 percent of the region’s power retailers, in terms of visitors.

We have about 60 vendors and it’s a big mix. We have the big brands and

even new comers. This year we have a good number of tablet vendors too.

What can the attendees expect in terms of novelty?

Apart from the exhibition and oneon-one meetings, there will also be seminars. One of the topics for a halfday session is, ‘Retail to business.’

The idea is to brainstorm how retailers can address the SMB customers.

Because many small businesses actually buy their IT products from the retailers compared to the reseller.

The second topic is about wearable technology. We are bringing in some demos and research pieces to add more value to this topic.

We also have a third programme, which we are building called Fresh. The idea is to offer innovative vendors an opportunity to showcase new product on stage, which is not out in the market yet.

We have been running this in Europe and Monte Carlo and has been quite popular.

Could you sum up why should one attend DISTREE Middle East 2014?

Vendors will find value in being able to meet the who’s who of the retail channel in two days in an organised manner. There are also many networking opportunities, which is helpful, because often many retailers have strict company policies where they cannot accept invitations from the suppliers. Whereas in our case, as we are vendor neutral and have 60 plus vendors, the retailers are keen to come and their management approves to attend such an event. The key advantage is to meet everyone in one place. It is also a regional event, we cover more than 15 countries, for the vendor it saves a lot of time.

Same goes for retailers and distributors, plus they get new content from workshops and presentations and they see new products. So it is time well spent at the event.

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Making... need to do to get the most out of the event. Whether you are a vendor, distributor, e-tailer or retailer, you are at DISTREE Middle East to do business, so make the most of the tools the organisers provide: Complete your profile – with logos, the right names of person for meetings and the responsibilities, their availability during the event.

This allows other delegates to see if you are a good match for their business and set up meetings using the DISTREE Middle East booking

system. The more information you share and the more accurate you are, the better the response. If you don’t have time, assign someone from your company to manage this.

Answer meeting requests: DISTREE Middle East opens up the one-on-one module a week before the event. Make sure you check for updates on meeting requests and respond to meeting requests at least once a day. This means that you will make full use of every available slot to have meaningful meetings.

Be on time: If you have meetings pre-scheduled and confirmed, please show up on time. This will mean that you will not only complete all your

pre-scheduled meetings but will find time for a few more. If for some reason you cannot make a meeting, please let someone at DISTREE’s help desk know so they can reschedule or let the other party know.

PR: Media partners are signed up well in time for the event. These media partners create stories to support the event.

Make sure you have your message and material ready and send it to the media partners at least or to your media database (if you have one) Make sure it is newsworthy. If you’re not sure – run it past the communications professional in your organisation or your PR agency.

Developing business opportunities

Simon Russen, EMEA Sales Director, Kensington Simon Russen, EMEA Sales Director, Kensington, on the company’s plans and objectives for DISTREE Middle East 2014 How long have you been participating at DISTREE? We have been at DISTREE for the past 5 years with our distributor, Jurassic Technologies. DISTREE gives us a great platform to meet resellers and retailers from all

Featured Tablets

over the MEA region in one place and share with them our plans for new product launches and channel campaigns.

This year we will have our own stand for the first time, as well as being with Jurassic in their meeting suites. Having products showcased on two stands gives us the chance to speak to more visitors at the show. The MEA region is one of the fastest growing part of the world and we want to have more of a formal presence for our Kensington brand at the show, rather than just being one of the many brands within our distributor, which is why we are here today.

What will be your focus at DISTREE this year?

Focus is on launching our NPD (New Product Development) as well as to meet customers from the more far-flung parts of the MEA region, which we do not manage to visit

In what way do you expect DISTREE to make an impact on your business this year?

We are launching some key new product categories – rugged cases for iPads/Samsung tablets and universal cases for Android tablets as well as our thinnest and lightest range of KeyFolios (Bluetooth keyboard cases) for tablets. The show gives us a great launch vehicle for these new product ranges and the chance to speak to many different resellers and retailers across the MEA region.

How is your company presenting itself at the event this year to differentiate it from competitors?

We are using our award-winning Bright Ideas campaign displays to showcase the unique features of our tablet accessories – allowing users to colour match their cases with other accessories such as Stylus/Pens.

Keep a media pack at your stand.

Make sure its digital. Make sure there is information about your company, the key spokesperson, any news items and photographs that they can use for coverage.

Make sure you respond to meeting requests from the media partners within the allocated time Be realistic about your expectations from the media. They are probably more interested in your overall strategy rather than just products.

There is a PR and communications team on hand at the event to assist you if required.

We wish you a successful DISTREE Middle East.

Complete line-up of Retail Academy Sessions Gadgetising: A New Trend for Technology Markets?

David Lewis, GfK Emerging Technologies: Hope or Hype?

Ryan Mackey, Consultant Wearables: New Product Categories, New Markets Laurent Eymard, RED-DOLPHIN From Souq to Smartphone: The Evolution of Consumer Purchasing Activity Nadim Shaikh, GfK Coping with Disruption in Technology Retai K.S. Vasudevan, Navo Launching & Implementing Gift Cards in Multichannel Retail John Bohan, Jigsaw Creating an Effective Post-DISTREE Action Plan Philip Hughes, Pumpkin Consulting iBeacons in Retail Benoit Van den Bulcke, Blue Print Execution Spotting Trends & Opportunities in IT Distribution Howard Davies, CONTEXT

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BDL plans to set up HQ in Dubai

Faraz Ali Khan, Marketing Manager, BDL Gulf BDL Gulf plans to emulates its KSA success story as an IT distribution leader in the UAE. Participating for the third consecutive year, BDL Gulf believes DISTREE is an important marketing event for the company. The event provides a platform for the major retailers and distributors of the region to come

together to have pre-scheduled meetings about how to work together and grow the business.

“This also helps us to make the retailers and resellers aware about our latest products and offers,” says Faraz Ali Khan, Marketing Manager, BDL Gulf.

Through BDL’s new brand of tablet – Quantum, the company is focusing on technology. After doing extensive study of the market, the company found that there was an exponential rise in the sale of tablet devices within the region, creating opportunities for growth.

“We provide the high quality products at the right price, best offered warranty and outstanding service.

To achieve this set of objectives, we provide a quality product at a price of global brands supported by after-sales service Diamond warranty across Middle East. This assures the total customer experience. Quantum is the

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only brand that offers 3 year warranty, 3 month swap and 3 year pick-up and drop service, that not only give comfort ability to consumers but also a comfort of doing safe investment,” explains Khan. “We always care about building a strategic relationship with the partners to achieve the common interests.

We would only note the business relationship based on trust between the distributor company and the retailers.

As we call it win-win approach,” he adds.

Originally a distribution company for personal computers, BDL aims at continuing to grow the distribution of mobile devices. “We have achieved success in Saudi Arabia and are a strong leader in IT distribution there.

On top of this we have also achieved significant success in mobile phones distribution. We are seeking to emulate the success story in UAE with our move

to set up the regional HQ in Dubai and bring a strong level of focus on the overall distribution business as well as our own tablet brand ‘Quantum’,” he says.

With objectives such as, communicating with major retailers in a relaxed environment, enhancing company’s reach and portfolio and to give a strong message about the company’s achievements and goal, Khan says, he welcomes the partnership with DISTREE as it helps to meet these goals.

DISTREE is more than an event; it is one of the most effective networking platforms for the businesses to strengthen their relationships with the channel. “We feel with these meetings in the past years we have successfully earned the buyer’s confidence, we demonstrated that we are ready to scale. We have made them aware that our products complement the retailers’ store’s existing product lines and add value to its image.”

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ConnecteDevice showcases connected watches at DISTREE Middle East 2014

Julien Ribeyrolles, Sales Manager, Middle East & Africa, ConnecteDevice,

ConnecteDevice, a global manufacturer of connected watches, has introduced its Cogito brand of watches and previewed the Cookoo 2.0 to retailers from across the Middle East at DISTREE Middle East, held in Abu Dhabi.

Keeping in line with the market trends, wearable technology is one of the new additions of DISTREE this year and the Cogito classic was featured on stage as part of Wearables Live, a session to examine the future of wearable devices and impact on retail and distribution channels in the region.

Julien Ribeyrolles, Sales Manager, Middle East & Africa,

ConnecteDevice, said “We’re excited to bring our connected watches to DISTREE. Cogito and Cookoo are a great fit for the Middle East consumer culture, with so many devoted and savvy smartphone users.”

“We have a product for every customer segment,” adds Ribeyrolles. “We’re keen to show retail executives our full range of connected watches with colors, styles and functionality that appeal to everyone — both men and women, students and executives, tech geeks and watch lovers.”

With significant consumer spending power in some Middle East markets, wearable technology is seen

by many retailers and distributors as a fast-growing and high margin product category for 2014 and beyond. The company’s unique design philosophy emphasises both fashion and function, meaning the products to stand apart from other brands, says Ribeyrolles “Unlike other smartwatches, Cogito and Cookoo models do not require a regular recharge,” adds Ribeyrolles. “Extended battery life, plus our focus on fashionable design and quality craftsmanship, really differentiates our watches from others. We are attracting interest from consumers who never considered buying a smartwatch before.”

Toshiba presents H/W+ services at DISTREE Middle East 2014

Santosh Varghese, General Manager, Digital Products and Services, Toshiba Gulf

A DISTREE participant for the last decade, Toshiba Gulf aims at reaching out to its channel partners and focusing on B2B products.

Toshiba Gulf has been participating at DISTREE for the last ten years. Seeing that the event is the ideal platform to engage with partners, Santosh Varghese, General Manager, Digital Products and Services, Toshiba Gulf, says, “It acts as a facilitator to get industry insights, share strategy and new products, meet new partners and liaise with competitors.”

At this year’s DISTREE, Toshiba

will focus on its B2B Products, and present its new business opportunities for the channel such as Toshiba’s H/W + Strategy, semiconductor technology products, wireless storage, flash drives, SD cards and wireless memory storage devices.

Talking about key trends influencing the event this year, Varghese says, “B2B, both retail and Dealers to Business are key trends that we need to address. H/ w+ services/solutions are another major area for our strategy at DISTREE.” Having been able to close partnership deals in previous editions, Toshiba is hopeful to repeat

the success story this time around as well. The company has been able to sustain profitable business operations in the last year and what’s more, it has emerged as one of the top three notebook brands in the Middle East region. Some of its other highlights has been garnering the top market share in markets such as KSA, Jordan, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia while also maintaining a successful engagement programme with the channel.

“And above all, we continue to ensure that we satisfy our customers’ needs and demands,” adds Varghese.

11th June 2014

Godolphin Ballroom, Jumeirah Emirates Towers, Dubai

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GfK delivers regional retail insight as Event Partner at DISTREE Middle East 2014 GfK is an official Event Partner for DISTREE Middle East, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from May 20th to 22nd 2014. Dr. Rudolf Aunkofer, Global Director IT at GfK Retail & Technology, will deliver the event’s opening keynote speech entitled ‘Technology Trends 2014 – New Growth Opportunities in Middle East & Africa (MEA)’.

The GfK keynote will highlight trends that are relevant to the industry for vendors and distributors as well as resellers and retailers. GfK will also explain how price, assortment and distribution strategies all have to be adjusted to successfully drive business.

Farouk Hemraj, CEO at DISTREE Events, said, “We are delighted to announce this partnership with GfK for DISTREE Middle East. The quality of data

available from GfK allows it to provide deep and meaningful insight into market trends impacting the regional technology and CE retail channel.”

Aunkofer stated, “For DISTREE events in 2014, GfK is pleased to announce new programmes will be developed to support decision makers, offering exclusive market insight into both business-toconsumer and business-tobusiness channels as well as the distribution sector.”

“GfK’s regional market experts will share the latest analysis on both local and global point-ofsales trends and distribution markets. GfK’s contribution at DISTREE events will also share the major trends shaping the future of technology and CE markets,” he added.

GfK will also run two workshops at DISTREE Middle East as part of the event’s

Retail Academy programme.

David Lewis, Head of Digital, GfK Retail & Technology Middle East, will moderate a workshop entitled ‘Gadgetising - A New Trend for Technology Markets?’

This session will explore how connected devices, wearables, USB gadgets and the Internet of Things (IoT) have all become mainstream terms promising new markets and business opportunities.

GfK will explore the principles of business success in these new gadget markets, explaining how these product categories can be turned into profitable and volume industry segments. This session will provide midrange forecasts for these categories and provide essential information on innovation and new categories.

GfK’s second workshop will be moderated by Nadim Shaikh, Retailers Service Manager at GfK

DISTREE Middle East 2013 highlights

Retail & Technology Middle East.

The session called ‘From Souq to Smartphone’ will examine the evolution of consumer purchasing activity in the region.

GfK will showcase in this session how consumer purchasing behavior is developing across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The session will use case studies to examine how the current evolution of consumer spend varies across the region and the reasons behind this. The session will also look at the importance of a multichannel and multi-platform strategy.

During DISTREE Middle East, GfK will also host an exclusive breakfast briefing session on Wednesday 21st May. GfK will present and illustrate the top ten trends for MEA technology markets in 2014 and share its market expectations with the audience.