Beirut International Franchise Forum and Exhibition (BIFEX)

BIFEX 2012 “The Retail Industry” will take place on 23 & 24 May at the Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut and is being organized this year in collaboration with Iktissad Wal Aamal. The two-day Forum will tackle Branding, Mall Strategies, Franchising, and Social Media with a panel of renowned international and local speakers.

• Session 1: Chairmen and CEOs of leading malls in the market (ABC, City Center, CITY MALL, Solidere) will discuss the role of shopping malls in promoting brands and concepts.

• Session 2: Set up by guest speaker Ramsay Najjar in “Brand or Die,” a panel will present the latest trends leading to successful branding strategies, cornerstone of success, including visual merchandising and cross-cultural visual identity, discussing concerns such as bilingual typography and communication design considerations.

• Session 3: Franchising will be introduced as a possible solution for hotel owners in Lebanon, bringing together the big players in the region (Golden Tulip Hotels Group in MENA, Accor Hotels Group, Wyndham Hotel Group International).

• Session 4: Renowned media experts (including Nicholas Heller, Head of New Business Development at Google (google.com), who will be among our featured speakers) will discuss the major shifts in technology and their impact on the retail business: E-commerce, M-commerce, and social media.

• Session 5: Top-level international experts will explain how to
perform brand valuations for financial reporting, M&A activities, and joint ventures and will bring forward various franchising issues.

Special Formula:Day one:
9:30 Registration
11:00 to 12:15 Session 1: Role of Shopping Malls in Promoting Brands & Concepts
Recent developments among leading shopping malls
Department stores growth trends and due impact on franchises
Consumer spending behavior in shopping malls
Increasing brand awareness through visual merchandising
12:15 to 12:30 Coffee Break
12:30 to 14:00 Session 2: Branding: The Cornerstone of Success
Franchisors’ branding strategies
Creating brands targeting personal preferences and needs
Mobile marketing; reach customers anytime anywhere
14:00 to 15:45 Lunch
15:45 to 17:15 Session 3: Franchising: A Possible Solution for Hotel Owners In Lebanon

Day two:
09:00 to 09:30 Networking Coffee Break
09:30 to 10:45Session 4: Franchising as Means for Enhancing Women’s Role in Business Success stories of women in the franchise industry
10:45 to 12:00 Session 5: Quality Control – The Mystery Shopping Method
12:00 to 12:15 Coffee Break
12:15 to 13:30
Session 6: Bringing the Customer Closer: Loyalty Programs, Fidelity Cards & Social Media
Incorporating loyalty programs into social media
Current social media trends reshaping customer service
promoting customers interaction with franchised brands through social media;
brand ambassadors
Brand loyalty during recession
14:00 to 15:45 Lunch