The 2012 MEDFA conference attracted a record-breaking and highly attentive 518 delegates on the two day forum at Dubai’s new Jumeirah Creekside Hotel. The +10% rise in attendance certainly did not disappoint, compared with the previous record of 470 last year. Brand owners and suppliers represented 45% of total delegates, while a large contingent of retailers and landlords (32% of the total) indicates strong commitment from the key players. And with 54% of the audience from outside the Middle East, it is clear that interest in the region and the MEDFA Conference is still growing internationally.

MEADFA is set up as an establishment within the Dubai Airport Free Zone and operates as a non-profit making trade association of Middle East-based retail organizations operating within the global duty free and travel retail industry. Its raison d’etre was to create a body that would bring official recognition to the region’s duty free industry, raise awareness of the industry’s contribution to the greater travel and tourism industry infrastructure and provide representation for its member companies.