GCC SHOPPING MALLS EXCELLENCE AWARDS

Through the course of its recognizable timetable in bringing you superior services, the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute is elated to present the 2008 GCC Shopping Malls Excellence Awards. As the state-of-the-art structures grow like mushrooms, shopping malls are equally set for services and architectural showcases for world-class retail concepts. They vary in sizes, designs, and qualities of services and product offerings. It also requires a mixture of unique independent retailers to draw traffic, create loyalty and bring the community together.

Winners of these awards will be selected based on their ability to deliver dynamisms that have a substantial impact on the shopping center’s goal. This program will be measured on its management effectiveness, creativity, and influence to customers through shopping mall operators’ efforts to strategically fulfill customer needs while achieving business goals.

Middle East’s developments reflect on the shopping lifestyle experience that one has engaged in or witnessed at. There have been ‘win-win’ marketing programs aimed at achieving success for the retailers and rewarding the shoppers at the same time. Thus, the quality of services that one shopping mall provides deserves to be acknowledged and rewarded.

Profile

Several campaigns are crossing the alleys of shopping malls in an attempt to bring the team spirit between retailers, staff, and management and increase customer affinity to the mall. In a wide-range platform of tough competitions, the ability to make a significant impact in the business or the lives of the customers through their products and services are forever top in the priority list. This involves not just the satisfaction that customers get from the ambiance and discounted purchases, but as well as the issue on safety while they are within the mall premises.

Being the most visited edifices in the key areas, shopping malls are not free from scrutiny. Hence, the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute makes it known to all parties by creating the GCC Shopping Malls Excellence Awards to distinguish their superiority in products, management, and services.

The categories are focused on the malls’ stratagems which are interconnected to quite a lot of rooms for improvement in strengthening customer loyalty, increasing revenue, and improving member engagement for a range of industries including card issuers, financial services, airline and hospitality, affinity organizations, and loyalty programs.

Mission

In guaranteeing terrific features, advantages, and benefits which shopping malls cater to the extent of being distinctive and recognized, the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute takes pride in fulfilling its mission. The event is set to convey back to the shopping malls what they worth gaining through comprehensive selection process and eventually exceed their standards by being the eye openers to all other establishments.

Vision

To bestow recognition for the consummate utility and performance excellence of the shopping malls, being the hub and mirror of development and culture, that will soon stretch the services to other continents.

Nomination Procedure

The nominations will run the program on its initial stage with the following particulars:

• The organizing committee welcomes nominations for all the specified categories.

• The awards committee will consider nominations from the Middle East only.

• Nominations must be submitted via the online nomination form.

• All supporting documents should be posted to the organizing committee.

• The organizing committee short-lists qualified retail industries.

• The decision of the judges' panel will be final.

• Judges or award winners from the previous year cannot be nominated.

• An individual/organization can compete in more than one category.

• Only on nomination per individual will be considered for a specific category of awards.

Nomination Details

• The awards committee will consider nominations from the GCC region only.

• For each nomination, please send us information that supports the nomination, like retail industry profiles, achievements, product reports, organizational reports, industry recommendations, program or project reports, etc.

• The supporting materials can be submitted in printed format, videos, soft copies, etc.

• Copies of original documents will be in organizer’s possession or ownership even after the nomination process.

• All supporting materials should be couriered to the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute - Datamatix, 14th Floor, Al Attar Business Tower, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE. Tel: 00971 4 3326688.

Who Can Nominate?

• A person can nominate his/her establishment/industry.

• Nominations will be accepted from a business owner, staff, or representatives.

• Nominations will be accepted from any consultant / PR organization.

Selection and Winners Recognition

• Winners will be selected through a process of nomination followed by evaluation by the judges’ panel

• The judging team will be comprised of international and regional industry experts and leaders

• The results will be published in a souvenir magazine / on the Web immediately after the event

• Public, business, economic and international organizations will be invited to attend the awarding ceremony.

Confidentiality

The organizing committee assures confidentiality for all documents submitted.

Deadline for Submitting Nominations

Nominations are open until ________, 2008

Criteria

1 – Best Shopping Mall Award

Shopping malls exhibit economic constancy where retail traffic is drawn. The “Best Shopping Mall Award” recognizes the establishment’s superiority, quality, and diversity in products and services with a strong desire to stand out in each nation in the region.

The award gives attention to the winner’s endeavor in mastering its dexterity in customer-service, retail markdown, innovation, business strategy, publicity stunt, and mall development to impart the finest shopping experience that customers in a large network of retailers could have.

Criteria for this award:

Conditions of Nomination:

• Only GCC shopping malls with more than 30 shops/ anchor stores are eligible

• For nominees with branches in many countries, only the main branch is eligible

• Nomination details will be accessible to members of the judging panel only

Judging Criteria:

• Only a shopping mall with more than 30 shops/anchor stores are qualified for nomination

• Documentation of noteworthy operational or financial progress year after year

• A number or shopping mall amenities, entertainment, and amusements that make it globally competitive

• Launching of innovative products and remarkable services with proven track record

• Social Responsibility – contribution to society

• Finest customer service with testimonials to prove it

• Achieved substantial growth in the number of visiting customers

• Astounding marketing strategies to benefit the retailers and customers

• Secure terrific rates with growing purchasing power and special valuable offers

• With different loyalty and affinity programs to provide maximum value to customers

• Consistently aligning goals with solid business partners

3 – Retailer of the Year Award

This award enforces business strength by dealing with transactions, rewards, affinity programs, and payments to increase the member engagement with shopping experience.

A bunch of promotional gimmicks certainly lure shoppers through longstanding, strategic merchant relationships. Customers and members get to shop at the stores they like while earning extra points and toughening their ties to the organization. This award definitely attracts new customers, bond existing relationships, and raise staff morale.

Judging Criteria:

• Evidence of shopping mall’s leniency in providing loyalty and affinity programs

• Mall’s superiority and growth in purchasing power

• Strategic merchant networks offering commission rates, compelling rebates, and rewards regularly

• With complete tracking, reporting, and auditability of online behavior and transactions

• Increase in customer shopping activities with a rich variety of offers from merchants ranging from free shipping, percentage off, free items over certain price levels, and many others.

• Turnkey, in demand online mall solution

• Instituting a policy of refreshing deals every business day.

4 – Best in Facilities Award

A lucrative shopping mall uses visual merchandising and smart layout to capture customer interest. It then has the stunning amenities and facilities that make this mall superior among the rest. Supporting this award is customer satisfaction from the exceptional works being done aside from acquiring the best shopping experience.

This award allows Shopping Mall to showcase innovative facilities that reduce costs and improve operational efficiency. Effective utilization of modern technology and the fullest enhancement of people’s skills are the major cornerstones of this award.

Judging Criteria:

• Commitment of the industry to entertain and satisfy the customers

• Operational uniqueness of new or renovated facility

• Sustainability of project

• Encourage participation of all ages, races, religions, and genders.

• Sharing the development of new applications of technology and cutting-edge approaches that it is adopting.

5 – Best in Customer Service Award

Any shopping mall offers anything ranging from support, coordination, and direct marketing to a full turnkey solution. But through an excellent customer service, successful industry programs and a towering quality of services are at par. In this way, shopping is easy while providing opportunities for customers to earn rewards and make use of the best facilities as well.

This award aligns the success of the shopping mall programs and creation of genuine client partnership.

Judging Criteria:

• Accessibility of information desks and customer service team

• Extensive campaign and promotional tools to increase first time visitors

• Top customer service team with testimonials to prove it

• Observance on the human resource’s gains in preparing employees to be highly-spirited in delivering customer services

• Prioritize customers and value their presence

• Specialize in providing strategic planning services

• Benchmarking customer satisfaction surveys

• Organized security service

6 – Design Excellence Award

This award accords recognition to the mall construction that has demonstrated performance excellence in terms of attention to high standards of designs and structure.

Nominations will demonstrate the application of the principles of sustainable design and/or sustainable development that deliver a sustainable heritage. Judges will consider how completed structures have been designed and built to achieve maximum benefit and satisfaction for retailers and customers and helped them accomplish their goals.

Judging Criteria:

• Originality of the architectural heritage concept

• Admirable buildable design, workmanship, creativity, and innovation

• Brilliant effort in mall maintenance and tenants relations

• Spectacular and imaginatively installation and fixing of lights

• Outstanding building decorations throughout the seasons

• Community development and improvement, restoration, reuse and area conservation, as well as landscape design and improvement of the environment

7 – Mall Maintenance Excellence Award

This award recognizes shopping mall’s excellence at conservation, preservation, safety, and health performances. This program narrowly inspects the shopping mall’s commitment to safety and occupational health management and risk control.

The judges will be looking for substantiation of mall’s development; adopting best practice and new technology in safety, health, and preservation issues. This also covers the retail industry’s concern with the disappearance of merchandise and currency and by far, the crime within the mall premises.

Judging Criteria:

• Evidence of shopping mall management commitment in valuing the lives of retailers, staff, and customers.

• Active employee participation and safety training

• Availability and accessibility of full range fire equipment

• Work site hazard identification and control campaigns

• Safety promotional activities and safety program advancement

• Safety innovation teams and committees

• Loss prevention programs achieved as a cutting edge service

• Retail crime control and response with tough investigation management and physical security

• Self-regulation for safety, incident/accident analysis

• Emergency preparedness and occupational health program

• Performance of regular and routine maintenance tasks

• Maintenance agenda for all parts of the mall premises

8 – Most Visited Mall Award

Although there is a serious competition among a number of shopping malls, these centres always conceptualize the campaign to reward its loyal customers who continue to visit the mall despite any economic issue, traffic, and season. Thus, trust is acquired.

This award identifies the scale of populace that has been consistent day after day. The mall simply attracts interest by the products, services, and facilities within no matter what the distance is.

Judging Criteria:

• Evidence through reward points for cash, gift cards, or other merchandise.

• Direct increase in traffic

• Boasting parking spaces and valet parking up to the limit

• Substantial increase in centre sales

• Complete track and report of customer behavior

Ceremony

Event Location & Date

Sunday, October 26, 2008 | time and venue??? | Dubai, UAE

Dinner Invitation Guide

• The organizing committee requests all participants to cooperate to gain the maximum advantage from this noteworthy event.

• Invitation cards can be collected from the Middle East Excellence Awards Institute - Tel: 009714 3326688

• Only invitation card holders will be permitted to enter the venue and participate in the event

• Due to the expected high participation level, we would appreciate early arrival of the guests

• Please ensure that your invitation card is not transferred to another party.

• If you have already collected your invitation card, but are unable to attend, please inform us by email or fax

• Please present your invitation card when you arrive at the main gates of the hotel

• Kindly proceed to your designated table immediately; our team will guide you to your seating area

• Please switch off your mobile phones and avoid smoking, speaking aloud, or moving around while the session is in progress

Dignitaries

Senior government and business executives, government decision-makers, entrepreneurs, trade associations, etc…

Dress Code

Formal / National Dress

Attendance

By invitation or registration only

Keynote Speaker

To be announced

Suggestions

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