The 11th edition of The World Retail Congress (WRC) will be held on April 4-6 at Madinat Jumeriah in Dubai, under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. Continuing its partnership with the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the theme of this year's World Retail Congress is ‘Reimagining the customer experience', bringing together the leaders of the global retail industry from the greatest retail icons to the most innovative start-ups and disruptors; from national market leaders to the most international. The Congress will provide the insight to help shape the retail future and show retailers how to meet the needs of their consumers in this era of rapid change. It is an unrivalled international annual gathering of retail leaders that delivers powerful connections and an unmissable sense-check on where the industry is heading. Ian McGarrigle, Chairman, World Retail Congress, said "it is with great pleasure that we return to Dubai for the 11th edition of the World Retail Congress, building on the success of last year's event. At a time where retailing is becoming more competition both on and offline we thought it was vital to explore this year's theme of ‘Reimagining the customer experience'. Together, we aim to empower our attendees with the knowledge and inspiration from our industry leading speakers so that they can find that unique advantage to attract customers, as delivering great customer experience is emerging as one of the most important differentiators of modern global retail. We look forward to welcome everyone to the Congress next month." Hamad Buamim, President & CEO, Dubai Chamber, said "after the tremendous success of the 10th World Retail Congress in Dubai, the Chamber is very pleased to host the 11th edition here again. This year's theme is very topical and reflects the changes in the retail sector, especially the growing trend of e-commerce. More so, Dubai's retail market is forecasted to surpass $52 billion in sales by 2020 with average annual growth of more than 8 percent. Dubai Chamber has been cognizant of the developments in this dynamic sector and therefore, we believe, there couldn't be a better time and place to discuss these developments and hear thought-provoking and engaging presentations, from the experts, about what opportunities await us." Across the three-day conference, 1,500 attendees will have the chance to hear from over 130 leading retail and industry experts. — SG
