Arab Luxury World indicates industry shake-up

The third edition of Arab Luxury World, organised by Mediaquest, took place at The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi on June 1 and 2. More than 30 panel discussions, presentations and private sessions provided an in-depth exploration of the latest ideas and trends in the luxury industry. Keynote Address, by the Co-CEO of Chalhoub Group, Patrick Chalhoub, spoke about the new challenges and realities of the GCC region’s luxury industry with a focus on travel, hospitality and retail sectors. ‘The New Normal’, which considered how the drop in tourist revenues in the GCC region has further pushed the need for regional expansion for many brands and retailers. Key agenda highlights included ‘GCC Outlook’, an analysis of oil prices, government budgets and subsequent effects on the luxury market; ‘Digital Strategy’, an analysis of the digital transformation and its impact on the premium goods and services and hospitality industry; ‘Luxury Brands and Programmatic: Redefining the Model’, which evaluated how pragmatic advertising has transformed the online ad-buying model; Air BnB  and ‘Fashion Trends’, which reflected upon emerging fashion and designer trends