LEADING STRATEGISTS SPOTLIGHT REGION’S ECONOMIC HOT SPOTS, UNVEIL BUSINESS PLANING TECHNIQUES

Marketing 2001 – November 14 –15 2000

Professor Philip Kotler, Professor John Quelch and Dr Henry Azzam are set to lead discussions on regional opportunities and strategic business planning at the Marketing 2001 management conference scheduled for November (14-15 2000, Emirates Towers Hotel Dubai).

The trio will be joined by a number of the region’s business influencers to focus economic and business planning techniques such as market domination tactics, the localisation of strategy and brands, and integrated marketing. A business opportunity analysis, the result 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.

Quelch, a leading British marketing academic and noted author, is the forum’s keynote speaker. His most recent titles offer marketing insights specific to Muslim populations and business strategies specifically for Middle East markets.

On day two, Kotler, professor of international marketing, Kellogg Graduate School of Management in the United States, will suggest strategies for creating, winning and dominating markets at a ‘Breakfast with Kotler’ session. Kotler is also the author of numerous best selling marketing texts, many providing the base for university curricula worldwide.

While, Azzam, chief economist and managing director of the Lebanon-based Middle East Capital Group, is set to give a fresh economic overview of the Middle East, preceding a panel session where Iran, Syria, Libya and Lebanon have been picked for individual concentration.

According to the event organisers, Dubai-based Gray Business Communications (GBC), the two-day Marketing 2001 is already attracting international attention : "Interest from both speakers and delegates has been intense from day one," said Barry Gray, managing director of GBC.

Other noted speakers include Mike Couzens for Marketing 2001 sponsor, Cisco Systems, Saeed Hussein Al Muntafaq, the recently appointed CEO of Dubai Media City, Jim Sillars of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce, and Fadi Ghandour, president and CEO of Jordan-based Aramex.

While 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 Al Zamil Group.

Gray stressed that Marketing 2001 is ‘ not just another business conference’.

"Marketing 2001 is designed as a forum from which business leaders can take fresh, strategic information and direction on which to base business and marketing planning."

He advised that pre-conference workshops are also planned. They will provide in-depth dialogue on a variety of topical management issues such as intellectual property right, multi-cultural marketing, e-commerce marketing and personnel strategies specifically for the Middle East region.

GBC is the producer of Gulf Marketing Review (GMR), the region’s only marketing publication, the bi-annual ‘Planning’ supplements and numerous customer magazines including City Life for Deira City Centre, Dubai, Living for Spinneys, Abu Dhabi and a new title for Al Faisaliah Centre, Riyadh.

According to Gray, the move into management conferences is seen as a natural extension to the GMR portfolio. : "Marketing 2001 is a obvious progression for us. It is taking the valuable information that the publications offer and brings it to a platform for broader discussion and debate."

Marketing 2001 workshops and conferences will be held at Emirates Towers Hotel from three days starting November 13 2000.