The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC) recent International John earlier this month, was the best ever according to the International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC).
Just on 100 students, representing 10 markets accross the region, including the GCC countries, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, India and the Philippines, attended the five-day school at the Sofitel Hotel in Dubai. The programme covered a comprehensive and concentrated course taught by a faculty of prominent shopping centre industry experts from the Arab world, Europe and the United States.
Speaking of the School, ICSC’s Director of Education, Greg McCort, said: “There was an excellent response from various countries in the region, and the calibre of the students was very high. It is pleasing to see the commitment that mall operators, retailers and owners in this region have to the shopping centre industry, and bodes well for a positive retail future, where well qualified individuals are operating centres to high standard level.”
Regional Director for the MECSC, Kim Redman said: “The programme provided relevant tools for the students allowing them to take what has been learned in the classroom and apply it to their own jobs. There was great interaction among the participants and the faculty, and the assignments presented at the end of the programme demonstrated the key learnings had been absorbed during the course.” Redman continued.
The disciplines covered by the course included management, marketing and leasing, and more specifically, participants were taught the fundamentals of operating a shopping centre or mall more effectively, as well as learning how the essential components fit. The course also covered the basic art and science of visual merchandising, the economics of mall operations and the leasing strategies that effectively impart the income and retail productivity of their centre.
Siyd Tawana, Retail Director for Dubai Properties, said: “The programme was very beneficial to our three-man team that took part . With the number of projects currently under development by Dubai Properties and the opportunity for retail here in the UAE, we would look forward to moving on to the next level. Dubai has an excellent retail reputation, but programmes like this will only help us raise our levels.”
The Professional School of Development was the start of the MECSC’s educational calendar for 2006. The next programme will see participants learning the A-B-C’s of Leasing at a one-day intensive course in Cairo, Egypt. The June 1 programme is aimed at leasing managers or directors, property managers and mall managers.
“A well conceived leasing programme is a fundamental basic for the operation of a successful shopping centre,” continued Redman. “ You could have the best design, the best facilities or a great location but without a thoroughly well planned and researched leasing programme, it will not be a success. Leasing is an art as well as a science and requires the skillful blending of a number of elements to ensure success.”
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
For more information on the MECSC please visit www.mecsc.org.
