ABU DHABI, UAE – The 11th annual DISTREE Middle East created a wealth of channel business opportunities for hundreds of new, emerging and established technology and consumer electronics brands. The event gathered more than 500 industry delegates. A wide range of new products and brands were displayed at DISTREE Middle East, including a vast array of connected devices, smart technologies, accessories and peripherals.Farouk Hemraj, Director and Co-Founder at DISTREE Events, said: “DISTREE Middle East is focused on high-level channel interaction designed to create new business opportunities for all delegates. With more than 1500 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings held at this year’s event, DISTREE Middle East opens up new consumer channel opportunities for all attendees.”
DISTREE Middle East 2015 was supported by Huawei, Linksys and Quantum as Platinum Sponsors; Acer, Brightstar, Gadgitech, HP and Max Electronics as Gold Sponsors; plus Ctroniq, June, Mercantile and TP-LINK as Silver Sponsors. Samsung was Retail Innovation Sponsor at this year’s event. GfK served as Event Partner, delivering a keynote, breakfast briefing session and workshops, sharing their insight on the latest market trends.
The DISTREE Diamond Awards series made their debut in the region this year at DISTREE Middle East 2015. The recipients of the DISTREE Diamond Awards were determined using on-site feedback from retailers and e-tailers attending the event.
Hemraj explained: “The DISTREE Diamond Awards serve as recognition for companies that offer a compelling channel proposition. Selected by retailers based on their interaction with exhibitors during the event, the DISTREE Diamond Awards are a hallmark of quality in terms of vendors’ go-to-market strategy.”
During a Gala Dinner on Wednesday 13th May, the ‘Middle East Retail Academy (MERA): 2015 Awards’ also took place in conjunction with DISTREE Middle East. The ‘MERA: 2015 Awards’ included awards for retailers and distributors, plus individual executive awards and a series of initiative awards.
The ‘60s to Convince Awards’ also formed part of the conference programme at DISTREE Middle East with 23 brands delivering elevator pitches for their latest products. Channel partners voted live to select overall winners in three categories.
Port won the Best Product Design Award for their GOLED backpack with built-in controllable lighting that could be used to signal directions to other road users. HP claimed the Best Innovation Award for Sprout, picking up 34% of the final live vote. Sprout gives users a unique, hands-on way to interact with their content—two touch surfaces work together to transform a desk’s surface into a digital-physical workspace.
The Best Presentation award was a tie between Port for its GOLED backpack, and distributor Jurassic Technology for its entertaining demonstration of the Transcend DrivePro 220 car video recorder. Videos of all ‘60s to Convince’ presentations will be available to view on DISTREETubes, the dedicated channel for all DISTREE Events.
DISTREE Middle East also included a comprehensive conference programme with a mixture of keynotes, panel discussions and awards sessions. Focused workshop sessions included speakers from Event Partner GfK; Content Partners Extrius, FFD, Navo and Quadmark; as well as Media Partner Channel EMEA. The conference included a Retail Voices Panel and Q&A session featuring senior executives from Emax, eXtra, Jumbo and Khoury Home.
DISTREE Middle East 2015 united all the major channel stakeholders in the volume technology and CE retail channel in one place at one time, providing a powerful platform for channel business development. From start-ups to established A-brands, the event continues to deliver a wide range of business benefits for all participating exhibitors.
“The initial feedback on this year’s DISTREE Middle East has been overwhelmingly positive,” stated Hemraj. “We will continue to innovate the structure and focus of the event to keep it relevant and rewarding for all participants. Planning is already underway for DISTREE Middle East 2016.”
