The 2007 Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC) Annual Convention is set to open its doors on March 19th at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, Hall 4. The convention will draw over 300 delegates and more than 40 retail real estate exhibitors from the region and worldwide. It will focus on the future course of the region's retail real estate industry with the theme "Middle East Shopping Centres Come of Age."

"This year's MECSC convention will be the biggest yet, with over 50 per cent growth over the last edition, " said Kim Redman, Regional Director, MECSC. "Shopping centres are playing an increasingly important role in the regional economy. As this sector continues to grow, the need for coordination, cooperation and mutual understanding grows with it. So a networking event like this is absolutely vital for the future health of the industry."

Now in its 12th year, the annual convention is the Middle East's premier networking event for the retail real estate industry, attracting shopping centre professionals, retailers, investor, property and real estate experts, leasing specialists, facility managers and related products and service suppliers for the industry.

Sheryl Rebello, Conference and Exhibition manager, added, "This year's event has drawn great interest from the industry. The Leasing Fair and Trade Expo have attracted retail real estate companies from the GCC and the Arab world, the UK, Sweden, Italy, USA, Thailand and the Indian sub-continent."

Participants include Dubai Properties, Tamdeen Shopping Centre Development Company, Dubai Festival City, Aldar, Burjuman, Colliers International, Majid Al Futtaim Group LLC, Grottini SRL, Bahrain Financial Harbour Holding, City Stars, I& M Galadari and Al Dana Mall, among others.

The conference sessions this year will see a high caliber of speakers which include Majid Saif Al Ghurair, MECSC Chairman and President of BurJuman, Futurologist James Bellini, International Council of Shopping Centres President Michael Kercheval and many more.

Topics for discussion will range from challenges facing the regional shopping industry over the next 50 years to mega projects in the region, secrets of running a successful family business, luxury branding and tourist shopping. The conference will give an international perspective to the region's fast developing industry and will act as a catalyst for future policies and actions.

The sessions will conclude on March 20 with an inspirational finale by Cathy O'Dowd, famed adventurer. She will recount her experiences of climbing Mount Everest from both the South and North sides and draw lessons from it on overcoming challenges in today's business world.

"I can't think of a more appropriate way to end this year's conference," said Redman. "The retail real estate industry in this region has overcome similar obstacles, and reached similarly heady heights, over the past few years."

The 2007 MECSC Annual Convention is sponsored by Dubai Festival City, Tamdeen, Dubai Properties, Colliers International, BurJuman and Grand Optics. It will be held in Hall 4 of the Dubai Convention Centre.

About The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres
The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres is based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and is a voluntary non-profit association. Established in 1994, the council has hundreds of active members, presided over by Majid Saif Al Ghurair, President of the BurJuman Centre.

MECSC represents shopping mall owners, developers, marketing managers, leasing managers and specialists, retailers, consultants, property managers, financiers, accountants, government officials and industry suppliers. MECSC covers a territory of 18 countries including Algeria, Egypt and Tunisia in North Africa; Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria in the Levant; the six Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC) of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Iran, Iraq and Yemen.