UAE FINANCE MINISTER TO OPEN MARKETING 2001

HE Dr Mohammed Khalfan bin Khabash to keynote conference on Strategies for Success in Arabia

The UAE Minister of Finance and Industry, His Excellency, Dr Mohammed Khalfan bin Khabash, opens the Marketing 2001 – Strategies for Success in Arabia – management conference this morning (Tuesday November 14 2000 0900 hours) at Emirates Towers Hotel.

Dr Khabash will address an audience comprising more than 200 members of the region’s business sector. The Marketing 2001 conference, organised by Gray Business Communications (GBC), is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Abdulla bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Information and Culture.

Dr Karbash will be joined during day one by Professor John Quelch, Dean of the London Business School, leading regional economist, Dr Henry Azzam and Jim Sillars of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, among others.

While, world-acclaimed marketing guru, Professor Philip Kotler, opens day two with an early morning Breakfast with Kotler session. Kotler will be speaking to Gulf audiences for the first time via real-time videocast from the United States. More than 60 UAE national students will also attend the Kotler session, many of whom are studying Kotler text.

Conference presentations will focus economic and business planning techniques such as market domination tactics, the localisation of strategy and brands, and integrated marketing.

While, a business opportunity analysis, taking account of shifting demographic trends and emerging economies, will form the core of the 22 presentations. All will be viewed from both the business-to-consumer and business-to-business standpoint.

Other noted speakers include Marketing 2001 sponsor, Simon Jacobson of Cisco Systems, Michael Wilde, Chief Operating Officer of Dubai Media City and Fadi Ghandour, president and CEO of Jordan-based Aramex.

In addition to Cisco Systems, the event has attracted a band of heavyweight sponsors, including Al Hayat, British Airways, Canon Middle East, DoubleClick, General Motors, MEMRB and Zamil Air Conditioners.

Yesterday (Monday November 13 2000), more than 100 marketers attended one of four workshop sessions, focussing corporate identity and brands for Arab markets, regional personnel strategies and harnessing the power of e-commerce.