Welcome back everyone, it appears summer is now officially over as we roll into September, well it certainly is here in the UK judging by the skies. I hope you all managed to make excellent use of the summer months and enjoyed some rest and relaxation. I managed to get away to Dubai and Egypt to recharge the batteries and spend some time with the family; some work was involved in both trips, but thankfully not too much.
Coming back into the office, there is lots of buzz and excitement as the retail event calendar kicks into overdrive. In the build up to Christmas my schedule will be more packed than my suitcase coming back from holiday.
In the short term, my immediate focus is the upcoming BCSC Showcase event taking place next week at the London Olympia from the 11-12th September, where RLI is a Media Partner for the event and the September issue of RLI will be on show throughout. Once I return from London I will have a few days grace before the travelling schedule begins.
First off I will be in Dubai on the 20th September for a few days of meetings and catch-ups. In Dubai, the RLI magazine will be on show at the Franchise UAE Expo 2013 on the 25-26th September, which is taking place at the Al Bustan Rotana Hotel. The RLI magazine will also be on show at the Retail Matchmaking Event 2013, which is being held at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Zagreb on the 25th September. I will then be heading over to Mumbai for the India Retail Forum, which will be taking place at The Renaissance Hotel from the 25-26th September, again the RLI magazine will be on show at the event. At this event, I am delighted to say I am conducting two panel sessions. On day one, I will be moderating a panel session entitled 'Understanding Retail's Greatest Growth Opportunity at the Top of the Economic Pyramid - For Premium, 'Bridge to Luxury' and Airport Retail'. This will take place from 15:30-16:45. The second panel session will take place on day two from 14:15-15:30 and is entitled 'Retail Impressions: International Brands' Perspective of India'.
During October and November the event train keeps on running for me, RLI and the rest of the retail community. Throughout these months the RLI magazine will be on show at several further events. The beginning of October sees the next issue of RLI on show at Expo Real, which takes place between the 7th and the 9th at New Munich Trade Fair Centre. Next up is the World Retail Congress, also held between the 7th and the 9th October at the CNIT LA Défense Conference Centre in Paris. The next event will be the first ever World Retail Congress Latin America, taking place on the 31st October and the 1st November, which will be held at the WTC Sheraton in Sao Paulo. Following this the magazine will be on show at another world's first, the World Retail Congress Africa event, which takes place at The Maslow in Johannesburg between the 4th and 6th November.
After this comes MAPIC 2013, happening between the 13th and the 15th November at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, this event promises to be the retail real estate highlight of the year. At this event the huge, 106 page November issue of RLI will be placed in all of the delegate bags. As well as this RLI is once again co-organising a special conference session with Reed Midem. The session is entitled "Middle East Miracle" and it will examine how the Middle East has emerged as a key market for retailers across the globe. The session is scheduled for Wednesday 13th November from 14:30-15:15.
Following MAPIC 2013, I will be heading off to attend RECon Middle East & North Africa 2013 between the 24th and the 26th of November which is to be held at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi. The magazine will be in the delegate bags at this event, I am also co-organising a panel session for the topic 'The Middle East - A Passion for Brands and a Blaze of Opportunity', (time and date to be confirmed). On top of this, RLI and the MECSC are co-organising a retailer's cocktail party on Sunday 24th November at RECon MENA. If anyone is interested in attending the party and would like an invitation, then please get in touch.
Moving into December, I will be attending the RECon Asia Conference which takes place on 2-3rd December at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. The RLI magazine will also be on show at this event.
If anyone is interested in participating in any of these panel sessions, or would like some more information on any of the panel sessions or events mentioned, please get in touch by ringing me on +44 (0)1706 212200 or by emailing me at jayne.rafter@rli.uk.com, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Looking further ahead and into the New Year, RLI Connect 2014 is gathering pace every day. We already have Sands Retail signed on as Headline Sponsor and Thor Equities as Gold Sponsor. Our Silver Sponsorship is still available, but make sure you enquire quickly to ensure you do not miss out on the fantastic opportunities this sponsorship package can offer you. We have new retailers joining RLI Connect 2014 all the time; the most recent are Causses, a F&B outlet from France, and Dubai Holding Group, a large franchise operator from the UAE. I am also pleased to announce that TriGranit Management Corporation have become the latest developer to book a meeting room package at RLI Connect 2014. On top of this, they have also booked a table of ten for the Global RLI Awards 2014.
After a successful first event, RLI Connect 2014 has been extended to run over two days on the 4-5th June 2014 at Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea Football Club. There will be a slightly earlier finish on the 5th; this will allow everyone a chance to get ready before the Global RLI Awards 2014 that will take place on the evening of the 5th June at the Natural History Museum. For booking details or any further information on either of these events please get in touch with me, or email the RLI team at info@rli.uk.com
See you on my travels...
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