Celebrity Speakers for MECSC Convention
Leading International Speakers are set to share ideas and future retail trends at the MECSC Convention in Dubai later this month

Dubai, UAE, 07 April 2008: The 13th edition of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (Mecsc) annual convention, scheduled to be held from April 21 – 22, 2008 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, is set to bring together some of the leading players in the industry. The convention’s growth reflects the massive expansion witnessed by the region’s retail real estate industry. With iconic mall developments, a surge in tourism and footfall, the region’s retail space is set to expand even further and the event will highlight the development and investment opportunities in this high growth market.

Conference Programme

The conference will feature well-known speakers and experts from the industry who will share information, exchange ideas and discuss future trends. With a focus on environmental sustainability and best practices, the conference speakers will discuss challenges faced by the industry, future trends and case studies. Leading speakers include internationally renowned architect Eric Kuhne, influential designer, Karim Rashid, ICSC president and CEO Michael P Kercheval, Kenneth Wong, ICSC trustee / CEO – Westfield America amongst others.

Kercheval, who joined ICSC in January 2000, was appointed to the position of president and CEO in May 2001, becoming only the third CEO in the association’s 50 year history. In this role he is responsible for the day-to-day management of ICSC’s global operations and carrying out the association’s strategic objectives. Prior to joining ICSC, Kercheval was a senior executive at Lend Lease Real Estate Investments, an Australia-based global real estate company. Kercheval will give an ICSC perspective on trends in the global shopping centre industry under the topic: ‘The state of the industry – a global overview’. As the only global association for the industry, ICSC is at the pulse of what is happening across the international scene and the session will cover reports on how the industry will shape up over the next decade.

René Tremblay is ICSC’s worldwide chairman and president and CEO of Ivanhoe Cambridge. Tremblay was elected to serve as ICSC’s 48th chairman in May 2007. He is ICSC’s 6th chairman elected from Canada.

Prior to being elected its chairman, Tremblay served on ICSC’s executive committee, for 6 years as the association’s Canadian divisional vice president and for 6 years as a trustee.

Stan Eichelbaum is founder and president of Fort Lauderdale, Florida and East Lansing, Michigan-based Marketing Developments, Inc and Planning Developments, Inc – research, economic forecasting, marketing and development planning firms that have served as strategists for over 200 projects in 46 countries worldwide. Eichelbaum’s planning has been acknowledged as cutting edge in award competitions and by major firms and municipalities in 46 countries worldwide.

Eichelbaum also is a Professor of Practice and Director of International Initiatives in the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences, Advertising, Public Relations and Retailing Programme. He is credited with several new mixed-use and mega project progressions, conceiving several initial lifestyle developments and strategising for projects in emerging markets.

Eric Kuhne, president, Eric Kuhne Associates London, UK, studied architecture at Rice University and Princeton in the United States and is principal of CivicArts based in London. With over 40 colleagues, Kuhne’s work continues to expand into new markets and new cultures to establish alternative design solutions that restore the story-telling quality of architecture and cities all over the world.

Kuhne will speak on ‘The influence of retail design: a marketplace of ideas’, covering topics like how the current trends in retail design affect shopping centre designs, exploring the diversity of attitudes, symbols and cues that define the consumer experience, what shopping malls and retailers can learn and the impact of good design.

Karim Rashid is a contemporary thinker and industrial designer. He is a leading figure in the fields of product and interior design, fashion, furniture, lighting and art. Born in Cairo, half Egyptian, half English, and raised in Canada, Rashid Celebrity speakers for Mecsc convention Leading international speakers are set to share ideas and future retail trends at the Mecsc convention in Dubai later this month Michael Kercheval René Tremblay Eric Kuhne RetailEvents RetailME april 2008 51 now practices in New York. He is best known for bringing his democratic design sensibility to the masses.

Designing for an impressive array of clients from Umbra to Prada, Miyake to Method, Rashid is radically changing the aesthetics of product design and the very nature of consumer culture. To date he has had some 2000 objects put into production. Rashid designed the Morimoto restaurant in Philadelphia and Semiramis hotel in Athens. He also designed an award winning retail interior for Nambe, a Sante Fe based manufacturer of table top items and 2 restaurants for the Singapore based noodle shop Nooch – one in Singapore and one in New York city. Last year saw the opening of Four Food Studio in Long Island.

Rashid will share his passion for design and its impact on the consumer experience in his address: The design experience economy.

Kjell Nordstrom is associate professor at the Institute of International Business (IIB) Stockholm School of Economics, Sweden. Acclaimed as Europe’s number one management thinker, Dr Nordstrom is a guru of the new world of business. The 2007 Thinkers 50, the world’s first ranking of management thinkers, ranked Dr Nordstrom and his partner Dr Jonas Ridderstråle at number 13 in the world and number one in Europe.

He is presently an Assistant Professor at the Institute of International Business (IIB), Stockholm School of Economics, focusing on research, consulting and management training in Sweden and abroad in the areas of corporate strategy, multinational corporations and globalisation. Dr Nordstrom is one of the founders of the Stockholm School of Economics’ most prestigious program, The Advanced Management Program (AMP).

In his address: ‘Blockbuster finale: funky business’, Dr Nordstrom launches a manifesto for the new world of business. “Forget what has come before – this is the future for organisations and leaders. Competitive advantage comes from being different. Increasingly, difference comes from the way people think rather than what organisations make. Today, the only thing that makes capital dance is talent. In such times we cannot have business as usual - we need funky business,” he says.

Dr Tommy Weir is the head of Learning and Development at Nakheel, Dubaibased real estate developer and a rapidly expanding retail operator and fund manager. He has driven the creation of an innovative learning architecture.

Dr Weir has a rich history of leadership development experience. He holds a Doctorate in Strategic Leadership. Moreover his work is in a rather unique area ‘Leadership for Growth in Emerging Markets’. This stems from his specialty ‘Arab Leadership Development’. He is often asked how he came about with his specialty. His reply is simply, “Having lived and worked throughout the Middle East for the past decade this unique specialty chose me and from there it took root.”

Additionally, Dr Weir is a featured author and lecturer on the subject of leadership and management development, specifically in multi-cultural, fastgrowth and emerging markets.

Leasing fair
The exhibition which is seen as a key deal making event, will showcase some of the largest projects from leading developers and management companies in the leasing fair, including Nakheel, Aldar, I & M Galadari, Colliers, Dubai Festival City, Arabian Ovaz, Dubai Properties, Alexandria Property Management Co, Project Management & Development Company, Aswaq Management Services, Burjuman, Silverbird Group and many more. Also on display would be exciting new projects like Abu Dhabi Mall, Building Materials City, Abdali Mall, Downtown Al Areen, Villamar, Wahat Hili Mall, Bawabat Ajman, Beirut Souks – Solidere and Cairo Festival City.

The Retail Zone will feature fashion, food and beverage and specialty brands from retail groups like RetailCorp, Grand Optics, Hot Brands, Bowling City, Yellow Hat, Al Jaidah Brothers -Bab Gulf, Sidra Investments, Spret Trading and others.

The Trade Expo will be an important sourcing event for the shopping centre and retail industry and will offer new prospects for product and service suppliers to strengthen their partnerships with the industry. Participating companies include Actron, Al Hokair Group, Blueprint Projects, Jacky’s, KOL Corporation, Omnix Media Networks, Grottini and Westech.

The 2008 convention is sponsored by Aldar, Colliers, Dubai Properties, Emaar Malls Group, BurJuman, Grand Optics and Ovaz Marketing & Investment. Media Sponsors include RetailME, Retail & Leisure International and Images Retail.

Post conference workshops

The two interactive workshops lined up for April 23 offer new learning opportunities for participants.

‘The Art & Science of Mall Merchandising’ conducted by Walter Kleinschmit, covers the philosophy, process, plan and execution of merchandising.

Kleinschmit is the president of R2E Consultants Inc, a consulting practice specialising in the development of retail real estate and mixed-use projects. He has over 23 years of retail and development experience in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Emirates and Oman.

The second workshop is on ‘Critical tools for property management’ conducted by Duncan Waddell. It will cover subjects such as the development of strategic business plans for a property and its management, performance management skills and tools, the role of information management systems, staff and contractor management, resource management, organisation structures, service streaming and resource implications, leading a property team, strategic sourcing and purchasing.

Waddell is the managing director of FM Intelligence Pty Ltd, Australia and is responsible for providing a wide range of business solutions for clients across the globe.