DSF and Al Rostamani Group – an enduring collaboration

As a key sponsor of the Dubai Shopping Festival for the past 14 years, the Al Rostamani Group has played an integral role in supporting the festival by being part of the government initiative that is today recognized as a leading global event.  
Marwan Abdulla Al Rostamani, chairman of the Al Rostamani Group that has diverse business interests in various economic sectors locally and regionally, talks about the relationship between the Group and DSF, and the expectations for this year’s festival in an exclusive interview conducted by the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment media centre.
Al Rostamani Group has always taken initiative to be a key sponsor of the Dubai Shopping Festival. How long have you been sponsoring this event and how do you view the significance of this sponsorship?
The Al Rostamani Group has been sponsoring the Dubai Shopping Festival for the last 14 years.
The Dubai Shopping Festival, being a first of its kind event in the region, has positioned Dubai as a cultural meeting point through its One World, One Family One Festival campaign. The Al Rostamani Group is proud to be a key sponsor of this pioneering event in the region, clearly reflecting on our values of commitment and care to the society and the business industry and sharing the vision of new ideas.  
What is your opinion of the importance of this festival in general? Do you think DSF is an important factor in increasing market activity during this period?
The Festival, when first launched in 1996, started out as a pure shopping event, but however, over the last 15 years, it has evolved into something much more, incorporating cultural, sporting and events of social responsibility.  
The Festival is and will always be a positive and important date on the Dubai Events Calendar which has become a much anticipated social event across the GCC, bringing different cultures together. The DSF also provides the necessary framework and opportunity for the business community and retailers at large to benefit from it commercially. This is more relevant and important in the current climate with the positive hope of the DSF acting as a catalyst both in the retail and hospitality industries.
What are the main commercial activities carried out by Al Rostamani Group that will benefit the company during this festival?
There aren’t any specific promotions during the DSF, however the retail businesses in the group, namely Al Rostamani International Exchange, Al Rostamani Travel will be participating in the event through the malls where they are located.
More importantly the Group views the participation in the Festival, over the last 14 years, as an integral part of its commitment to support and contribute towards bright initiatives created by the Government of Dubai.
How do you see the size of the group’s sales during the festival month, compared with other months?
The B2C companies in the group are quiet confident that DSF will have a positive impact on the sales for the month.
What are your expectations for this DSF?
The Dubai Shopping Festival, over the years, has become an eagerly awaited event, not only in the UAE but also in the region. This has precipitated a trend across the GCC and the Middle East region whereby festivals of similar nature are celebrated. The Group expects this year’s DSF, the 15th edition of the event, to be quite eventful, full of activities and initiatives contributing to a bright start to the year both culturally and commercially.