Participants at the 2007 Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC) Annual Convention from March 19-20th can look forward to hearing from prominent business leaders from the regional and international retail real estate industry and experts from other fields. The 12th edition of the yearly event will take place at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre in Hall 4.

Speaker line up for the first day of the event include leading personalities such as Majid Saif Al Ghurair, MECSC Chairman and President of Burjuman, UAE; James Bellini, a leading Futurologist from the UK; Michael Kercheval, President of International Council of Shopping Centres; Phil McArthur, Managing Director Shopping Centres and Commercial Real Estate, Al Futtaim Group, UAE; Kemper Freeman, CEO, Kemper Development Company, USA and Clyde Fessler, Ex Vice President, Business Development, Harley Davidson, USA.

Steve Kaufmann, Editor of Visual Merchandising and Store Design, USA; Radha Chadha, Principal, Chadha Strategy Consulting, Hong Kong; Gary Chapman, President, Group Support Services, Emirates Airlines, UAE; and Cathy O'Dowd, the first woman to climb Mount Everest from both south and north sides; will speak on March 20th, the closing day of the event.

"We are honoured to have such an exciting top flight list of regional and international speakers at our annual convention. This will be an excellent networking opportunity for industry professionals to learn from their expertise, share ideas and exchange information. We expect over 300 shopping centre and retail professionals to attend the event," said Mike Davidson, President of the Middle East Council of Shopping Centres.

Majid Saif Al Ghurair will welcome the delegates to the 2007 MECSC Annual Convention and James Bellini will open the conference sessions.

Speaking ahead of the convention, Radha Chadha, one of the keynote speakers, commented: "With the rising importance of the Middle East as a shopping destination, the MECSC convention will be the perfect forum to discuss how shopping centers here can ride on the ‘shop-o-tourism' wave, a growing trend worldwide which cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, London have leveraged to the hilt."

Chadha who is the author of ‘The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia's Love Affair with Luxury', and founder of Hong Kong based brand consultancy Chadha Strategy Consulting, will draw upon consumer insights from Asia on luxury branding and how it can be applied in the Middle East.

Michael Kercheval, President of International Council of Shopping Centres, USA, will speak on the challenges that shopping center industry professionals can expect in the next 50 years and how to be prepared.

Al Futtaim Group's Managing Director of Shopping Centres and Commercial Real Estate, Phil McArthur will give an overview of the mega projects developed and taking shape in the Middle East.

Sharing his secrets of successful family business will be Kemper Freeman, CEO of Kemper Development Company, USA, a fourth generation, family-owned real estate and development company best known for its development and management of Bellevue Square, a super regional shopping center located in Bellevue, Washington.

Clyde Fessler, the retired Vice President of Business Development at Harley Davidson and now an active business consultant and motivational speaker, will reveal the exciting story of how the legendary motor cycle company was able to build a community of enthusiasts around the world with almost no advertising!

Another interesting speaker is Steve Kaufmann, Editor of Visual Merchandising and Store Design, USA, since 2000. He will speak on the importance of creating appealing, dynamic store environments to attract customers.

Gary Chapman, President Group Support Services, Emirates Airlines, one of the leading conveyors of tourists to the region, will highlight the role of tourist shopping.

The conference sessions will close on March 20, 2007 with a motivational talk by Cathy O'Dowd. She will recount her challenging experience of climbing the Everest from both south and north sides and draw lessons from it on overcoming challenges.

The MECSC Annual Convention is the only event of its kind in the region that provides a perfect platform for professionals from the shopping centre industry, retailers, investors and product and service suppliers to meet and discuss potential new business.

Running alongside the convention will be a Leasing Fair and Trade Expo with participation by Mall of Arabia, Dubai Festival City, Majid Al Futtaim Group LLC, Tamdeen, Aldar, Al Othaim, PMDC, Burjuman, Savola Group, Citystars, etc at the Leasing Fair and a wide range of companies like Amusement & Services International, Actron, Batley Partner, Concept Design International, Grottini SRL, Group 4 Securicor, Prodco, Small Back Room and many more at the Trade Expo.

The 2007 MECSC Annual Convention is sponsored by Dubai Festival City, Tamdeen, Dubai Properties, Colliers International, Burjuman and Grand Optics.