Dubai: One of the benefits from the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar will be a surge in tourism to the UAE as well as innovation in technologies.
"Qatar is not well-known in the west while Dubai and Abu Dhabi have marketed themselves aggressively... so I'm not convinced they will stay in Qatar," said Dr Sean Ennis who specialises in sports marketing at the University of Strathclyde Business School. "[Instead] they will come to Dubai and fly in for the games and fly back."
Ennis was recently at the business school's Dubai campus to mark the 40th anniversary of the Marketing Department with students, alumni and faculty. Other experts, who teach in Scotland and Dubai, discussed marketing in the Middle East and also shed light on sports marketing in light of Qatar 2022 and multicultural consumers.
"I think you will find people making hotel arrangements in Dubai or Abu Dhabi and I can see cruise liners offering packages," said Ennis.
New innovations will also be a benefit to Qatar and the region. "If you look at Qatar's presentation bid, it is focused on technology," said Ennis, who added that Qatar has the challenge of building stadia that are energy-efficient and well air-conditioned.
"The technology we will see will be mindboggling, I think."
The hospitality giant Jumeirah Group is already gearing up for the event though it is still a long way out, said Piers Schreiber, its vice-president of corporate communications and public affairs. He spoke at the Strathclyde marketing event as an alumnus. "Certainly our chairman [Gerald Lawless] has said the government of Qatar will benefit and it will help put the region on the map in the broader sense," said Schreiber. "So people can look at being able to stay in Dubai or Qatar and be able to access the action."
Though the Jumeirah Group does not have a hotel in Qatar yet, they expect to have one in Doha by the time the event takes place. "It's in our development pipeline," said Schreiber.
Marketing
Touching on other topics germane to the region, post-recession marketing in the Middle East is not what it used to be with consumers a lot more demanding and discerning, said Professor Kevin Ibeh, head of the Department of Marketing at the University of Strathclyde.
"In the past 18 months there have been more challenges because of increased competition and economic restrictions, and companies are struggling to find and retain customers," he said.
"These companies are finding that customers are paying attention to quality and value for money now, whereas in the past they had it fairly easy where products are services were in demand.
"This is also an opportunity for marketing professionals because "the market is crying out for people who are highly skilled in marketing, understanding the consumer and putting together responsible products and services that also profit the company," said Ibeh.
An Islamic marketing expert at the university, Professor Alan Wilson, said companies are also ensuring their products cater to their Muslim customers. An example of this is halal cosmetics for women.
"Islamic banking has been an issue for some time, but it also tends to lean to the halal area," Wilson added. "Marketing has to become far better to understand sensitivities and what people are looking for."
Social media is also playing a role in customers having a say in what they're buying. "In the past you could control what people are saying about your brand... but now people are creating it for you," Wilson said.
