Dubai: A new brand advocacy programme this year promises to take the 21st edition of the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) to the next level in terms of consumer experience.
The 32-day extravaganza will see around 100 local, regional and international celebrities, singers and opinion-makers coming to Dubai this month.
In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Laila Mohammad Suhail, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) that organises DSF, said a big part of the DSF 2016 experience has a lot to do with the atmosphere created by its three main pillars: Shopping, entertainment and winning.
“We are taking DSF to a new level in the 21st edition, whereby DSF is not a mere sales season or discounts... This is why we have planned a line-up of events, activities and promotions that are built around the festival’s 2016 tagline ‘Unwrap the Exceptional’.
This year, DFRE, an agency of the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), is wooing visitors with celebrity appearances, family-friendly activities, live entertainment, and raffle promotions offering millions of dirhams in prizes.
As the longest running shopping festival of its kind in the world, running till February 1, Suhail said, they are also working even more closely with retailers this year to incentivise them to create innovative promotions and activations, which will attract shoppers.
“These offers and activations are designed to create a special shopping experience that rewards customers,” she said.
On the entertainment front, performances by international and regional stars, she said, will enthral residents and visitors, while traditional attractions will also draw visitors, such as the fireworks shows – which will take place across three locations around Dubai – and the Carpet and Art Oasis.
The DSF Mega Raffles will once again spearhead the winning aspect of DSF, Suhail added, and will continue to make difference to people’s lives in more than one way.
“In the past two decades, DSF has changed the lives of thousands of shoppers and visitors, not only through its prizes and raffle draws, which amount up to almost Dh2 billion since its inception, but also through creating unforgettable moments to all visitors.”
This year they have gone further, as visitors who buy a raffle ticket for Dh200 have the chance to win a prize of a lifetime every day - an Infiniti QX70 car plus Dh200,000 in cash. Also, for the first time in the history of DSF, the Gold and Jewellery Group is giving away three grand gold prizes every day, in addition to exciting new promotions being run in collaboration with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group.
“DSF always rewards its shoppers and visitors, and we can proudly say that it’s the most rewarding festival in the world, and that would be one of many reasons that shoppers keep coming back.”
