A spotlight on retail
Here’s what to expect at FUTR World which will take place from December 9-11 at Abu Dhabi’s Manarat Al Saadiyat
FUTR World which has been built as a collaboration between Retail Abu Dhabi, the retail platform of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), MP Singapore and FUTR Group, will be held at Abu Dhabi’s Manarat Al Saadiyat from December 9-11.
The three-day event will focus on innovation and entertainment across three distinct spaces – FUTR Live, FUTR Festival and FUTR Summit.
FUTR SUMMIT
FUTR Summit is a B2B focused day, held on December 9, bringing together leaders from major brands, retailers, corporates and e-commerce who will discuss ideas and concepts. It includes the likes of Michael Ward, CEO and managing director of Harrods, who will discuss the future of retail with Edward Sabbagh, managing director EMEA of Farfetch.
Another key discussion to look forward to is the one titled “The new normal of e-commerce, m-commerce and marketplaces – the future of online” where Roy Wentzel, head of e-commerce MENA at PUMA will discuss the subject with Neetan Chopra, CTO at Dubai Holding.
Also discussing the power of analyticsbased decisions and the future of marketing will be Rob Bullough, director of Global Brand Marketing at Electronic Arts, and Kingsley Wheaton, chief marketing officer at British American Tobacco.
For those who want to understand the businesses that have truly impacted the way we work during the pandemic, Zoom’s global deputy CIO Gary Sorrentino will be discussing the company’s learning during the pandemic, including handling 40 per cent company growth in a year and reaching $3.7bn in revenue.
FUTR FESTIVAL
Day 2 will include a lineup of progressive music artists across multiple genres with a focus on up-and-coming talents. Headliners for it include afrobeat icon, WizKid. His hits include Holla at Your Boy, Tease Me/Bad Guys, Don’t Dull, Love My
Baby, Pakurumo, and Oluwa Lo Ni. He’ll be joined by singer/songwriter Alicai Harley aka ‘Hot Shot’ who with her dance-hall, pop, R’n’B and UK grime sounds has been listed as #OneToWatch by BBC 1Xtra and Capital Xtra. She will be making her first appearance in the UAE at FUTR Festival.
FUTR LIVE
FUTR Live will span across day 2 and 3 of the event, joining both big and small brands in an immersive ‘future of’ showcase giving visitors a peek into the technology, artistry, creativity and innovations that industries are planning towards including beauty, fashion, wellness, travel, fitness and retail. Expect VR, AR and AI experiences as well as inspiring panel discussions and networking opportunities.
It will also include performances by professional athletes, influencer meet and greets, and mindfulness workshops, among other activations.
Among the different activities planned, the Museum of Ice Cream immersive experience from New York will be making its Abu Dhabi debut at the event.
Another experience will include a VR gaming experience hosted by Benefit Cosmetics Style. It will give players a chance to play against their friends and to try exclusive products as well. Other beauty experiences include Abby Roberts taking to the stage, showcasing her behind the scenes tips on her makeover looks. For space fans, a media and soundscape experience full of photographs, video and animations from launches, missions, space stations and Mars will be on display at FUTR Live, courtesy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Never seen before, you can even download the experience via a QR code on site.
Looking to the future of travel and Auto at FUTR Space, it will allow participants to partake in an immersive 360 audio-visual experience created by artists Jo-Ho and Intriguant.
Looking into the future of wellness, FUTR Void is an experience curated by music producer Planeswalker. While UK food media company and cooking crew MOB Kitchen will be at FUTR Live serving some of its unique dishes, you can also experience the future of food through the FUTR tastebud activation where attendees will learn how food will taste and where will it come from in the future.