Delegates and exhibitors turn out in force for inaugural event
Digital Signage Summit (DSS) MENA 2015, which took place at the Conrad Hotel in Dubai, UAE on 16 November 2015, received widespread acclaim from both delegates and exhibitors who attended the first DSS event to be produced in the region.
The Digital Signage Summit Series is a group of regional events, held in Middle East, Europe and Russia, which explore the business, technology and strategy of the digital signage and digital-out-of-home (DooH) marketplace.
DSS MENA featured 12 speakers, 11 exhibitors, 10 presentations, three panel discussions and attracted 196 delegates - a significantly high number for a launch event. The venue proved an ideal location for networking in and around the one-day event. Two thirds of the attendees were visiting from the UAE, indicating how DSS MENA struck a positive chord with the local market.
Satisfied exhibitors included Sharp, easescreen, NEC Display Solutions, AndSign, Barco, B-Tech Audio Video Mounts, dimedis, Famasete, ONELAN, Signwave and United Entertain.
Delegates and exhibitors also reported positively on the newly introduced matchmaking service, which they used to schedule appointments with people and companies they wanted to connect with. The easy- to-use system utilised the latest scheduling technology to support the creation of business relationships.
The conference itself saw a series of important keynotes, presentations and panel discussions, covering key industry topics like retail signage, guiding and controlling, digital agencies and DooH.
One of many conference highlights was Fredrik Holmvik´s keynote speech about Smart Retail at ICA, Scandinavia's largest food retailer. ICA introduced digital signage at the POS six years ago. Now, revealed Holmvik, for its second-generation rollout, ICA has analysed its experience across hundreds of stores and adapted the original concept to cover 480 stores with 5,500 screens today. The keynote provided numerous insights into the major lessons learned and how the food retailer dramatically improved sales by harnessing the power of digital signage.
Stewart Caddick, CEO of Dubai Duty Free, discussed its new 80,000 square feet retail space at the new Concourse A to serve Emirates Airline and its A380 passengers. A major development within the new format has been the integration of a significant digital advertising platform comprising over 100 screens and video walls, revealed Caddick.
The organisers also presented the first Digital Signage Awards MENA, which honoured the finest digital signage projects in GCC and MENA.
DSS MENA continues the legacy that invidis consulting started with the launch of its first Digital Signage Conference in Europe in 2007. The 2015 European edition in September attracted almost 500 delegates to Munich, Germany. This was the first since it linked up with Integrated Systems Events, the producers of the Integrated Systems Europe exhibition.
invidis consulting MD Florian Rotberg commented: "DSS MENA 2015 has been a great success. It was our first conference in the UAE, with strong regional representation and nearly 200 delegates. This demonstrated perfectly what the joint venture between invidis and ISE is capable of."
"The feedback from delegates was very promising and showed that we have adapted to the needs of the MENA region. We are looking forward to creating an even bigger event next year in Dubai, with exciting new event features," he concluded.
Integrated Systems Events MD Mike Blackman added: "We've thoroughly enjoyed the third chapter in our joint venture with invidis consulting and look forward to many more in the future. This year's programme was full of highlights and we witnessed some very important conversations that will help shape digital signage and DooH in the MENA region. We now look forward to DSS events next year at Integrated Systems Europe in Amsterdam, Netherlands and in Munich, Germany, as well as in Russia and Dubai, and to working together to make DSS Europe 2016 an even bigger success."
The next DSS MENA will be held in autumn 2016 in Dubai. Further details will be released in the coming months.
www.digitalsignagesummit.org
