Simon Woodroffe, the entrepreneur who brought the YO! brands to the public attention in Britain, has confirmed his position as a key-note speaker at The Marketing Forum, to be held in Dubai on October 21-23, 2002.
The 50-year-old Briton, who will be making his speaking debut in the Middle East, also confirmed that the YO! Sushi brand will launch throughout the region in the next five years, starting with the first Kuwait branch ear-marked for opening in February, with a second for year-end 2003.
On the table are: four concessions in Kuwait; one landmark property and four retail concessions in Dubai; and the intention to roll out the brand through Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Woodroffe invested life-savings of $250,000 in YO! Sushi five years ago and has seen the name become synonymous with futuristic entertainment dining, thanks to conveyor belt sushi and talking robots delivering drinks. With more restaurants in the pipeline and a company turnover of $25 million, Woodroffe is expanding YO! Sushi into the Middle East as well as extending the brand across other lifestyle sectors.
The entrepreneur will address an expected 300 delegates at The Marketing Forum, where he will deliver one of the keynote speeches, Daring to Create the New. He said: “We are targeting the Gulf region for the simple reason that the region has high brand recognition within an established culture of high fashion, shopping malls and premium restaurants.
“I am looking forward to understanding more about the state of marketing and advertising industries in the Middle East, but I strongly believe that the principles are the same—a winning brand can, and will, succeed anywhere,” he added.
The Marketing Forum will be held at the Emirates Towers hotel in Dubai. This year, the conference will focus the attention of its delegates and speakers on “Best Marketing Practice in Action”. — (menareport.com)
© 2002 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
