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The Middle East Council of Shopping Centres (MECSC), will run an intensive five-day programme, from May 6 to 10, for shopping centre professionals, which will lead to an International Council of Shopping Centres (ICSC) Management and Marketing Institute Certificate. In addition, participants can go forward for the International Certification Programme, which includes an Accredited Shopping Centre Manager (ASM) or Accredited Marketing Director (AMD) qualification.
The International John T. Riordan School for Professional Development is being jointly hosted by the MECSC, along with its international affiliate the ICSC, and is run only once each year. The programme covers a comprehensive and concentrated course taught by prominent shopping centre industry experts from the Arab world, Europe and the United States, who will serve as the faculty.
“The response from across the region has been unprecendented,” stated Kim Redman, Regional Director for the MECSC. “It reflects the importance of the retail industry in the Middle East, and the importance that mall operators and owners are placing on the professionalism of their staff.”
“The programme provides powerful tools and what is learned in the classroom can be applied immediately when participants return to the workplace. It aims at encouraging dynamic interaction amongst participants and between the faculty and participants. Participants will complete assignments in small group meetings, review materials, discuss business problems and solutions, as well as exchange ideas,” Redman continued.
The disciplines covered by the course include management, marketing and leasing, and more specifically, participants will be taught the fundamentals of operating a shopping centre or mall more effectively, as well as learning how the essential components fit. The course will also cover 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.
The faculty for the School includes Alan Alexander, an author of numerous real estate publications, with a specialty in management, leasing and consulting for income-producing properties throughout the Americas. Julie Jones, a veteran with over 21 years experience in the shopping centre industry and holder of the SCSM and SCMD designations will also serve on the faculty this year. A familiar face in the region, Pam Bryson is the Regional Marketing Manager – Development for Majid Al Futtaim (MAF), UAE. Bryson is an ICSC designated Senior Certified Marketing Director (SCMD) and has held several positions on ICSC committees.
Other faculty members include Margaret Dickson, who specializes in the area of shopping centre marketing and strategic planning. Dickson was a member of the ICSC CMD Admissions and Governing Committee for six years. Another familiar face from the regional scene is Phil McArthur, the Director of Leasing & Marketing for Dubai Festival City. McArthur was recently elected as the first Middle East-based trustee for the ICSC and is a member of the organisation's international education faculty. The faculty is rounded out by Shahram Shamsaee, the Vice President of Leasing at Majid Al Futtaim, who is currently responsible for overseeing all MAF's operating assets in the region.
Redman concluded: “The faculty collectively has more than 90 years of retail and mall experience between them, offering the participants the very highest calibre of facilitators. The combination of international and regional expertise, will allow the programme to be relevant to our markets, therefore making the training even more valuable.
This year's running of the ICSC/MECSC International John T. Riordan School for Professional Development will be run at the Sofitel City Centre Hotel in Dubai.
About MECSC
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
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