The Retail Summit, an annual gathering retail professionals designed to showcase inspiring brands and explore the latest trends in the market, will take on the theme of the ‘Hyper-Connected Consumer’ for its second edition in 2020.

The Retail Summit 2020 will take place in March at Atlantis Hotel, The Palm. Keynote presentations, panel discussions and TED-style talks by international industry leaders will explore how modern ‘always-online’ culture is impacting the retail sector in terms of operational excellence, technology adoption and spurring sales decisions.

Hamad Buamim, president and CEO of Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said: “The Retail Summit 2020 comes at a time of great transition for global retail as industry players navigate the Fourth Industrial Revolution, deal with disruption and embrace advanced technologies that are improving the customer experience.”

“As a top-ranking retail hub and a city with its eye on the future, Dubai is an ideal setting to host these discussions and examine key trends reshaping the global retail landscape. The high-calibre of speakers and participants in the upcoming summit only adds to the significance of the event as a platform for industry leaders to share their insights and examine key trends that are reshaping the global retail landscape,” Buamim added.

“The inability to engage today’s hyper-connected consumer means your relevance and business are in danger of becoming extinct,” said Gary Thatcher, CEO and co-founder of The Retail Summit. “We live in a time where a company’s approach to technology and how products are marketed digitally has a direct impact on sales. This trend is global and Gulf-based retailers need to wake up to the fact. First-mover status is already gone, but the race for relevance is heating up.

“Examining the local market, the UAE has a 99 per cent internet penetration rate –accounting for over nine million residents online every day. Out of those, 93 per cent use the internet for an average of eight hours per day. There’s huge potential for digital-savvy retailers to tap into these evolving consumer habits and online interactions.”

“We have positioned ourselves as the only event in the world that explores the convergence of retail with technology, experience and hospitality,” added Thatcher. “Last year, our retail sector focus cascaded into interconnected parallel industries. We welcomed speakers from hotel groups, who spoke alongside cinema operators, luxury cruise line operators, F&B brands and ecommerce disruptors.”

The evening preview, organised in partnership with Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Meydan One, is the second international event hosted by the summit’s organisers in the build-up to the 2020 summit. A previous preview event held gathered speakers in London. Both preview events saw presentations delivered to an audience of C-level delegates by influential executives from the real estate, retail, fashion, finance and tech markets.

The Retail Summit 2020 preview featured a prominent panel discussion explore how disruptive technologies are redefining how retailers interact with consumers. The panel included high-level officials from Meydan Group, Liwa Trading Enterprises, Novo Cinemas and Giordano. – TradeArabia News Service