ACER scooped the 'Marketing Initiative of the Year' award at this year's DISTREE Middle East, the leading event for senior executives operating in the Middle East ICT & CE retail sector, held at the Fairmont Bab Al Bahr in Abu Dhabi last week. The award, presented at a gala dinner for the Middle East Retail Academy Awards on May 13, recognized Acer's innovative Blogger Outreach function in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which introduced 25 bloggers to the unique lifestyle experiences that Acer products offer. Acer's outreach invited bloggers to a plush hotel in Riyadh, with its innovative devices showcased in their natural habitat in the home. Five unique lifestyle corners were created focusing on individual personalities – The Fashionista, The Traveler, The Forerunner, The Gamer and the Business Person – allowing bloggers to see how each device can be used across various lifestyles. “With the high rate of broadband penetration in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the high usage of social media and communications devices, reaching out to the blogging community is an excellent way of validating your product,” said David Drummond, Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Acer. “By allowing bloggers to experience our product lineup in an interactive manner, we were able to deliver to them a truly memorable experience and highlight our message that Acer has a device to suit any lifestyle.” During the many 1-on-1 meetings Acer participated in, the global ICT leader used DISTREE to display its new notebook lineup, including the innovative line of Aspire R11 and R13 convertible notebooks, as well as its new Aspire V 15 E Series and ES series, supported by Acer for the free Windows 10 upgrade. Also showcased by Acer was the Revo One stylish personal computer designed to become the entire family's entertainment center, featuring multimedia sharing, content streaming, huge storage and casting. Now in its 12th year, DISTREE Middle East brings e-tailers, retailers, distributors and vendors together to showcase the latest innovations and technologies, allowing manufacturers to meet a relevant buying audience and grow their retail business across 30 countries. DISTREE Middle East 2015 attracted more than 500 delegates, and featured more than 1,500 pre-scheduled one-on-one meetings. The vent also included a comprehensive conference program with a mixture of keynotes, panel discussions and focused workshop sessions. — SG
