DISTREE EMEA 2016 to provide access to complete go-to-market ecosystem for consumer technology products

DISTREE EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) 2016 will be held from February 24-27th at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco. Taking place for the 14th consecutive year in 2016, DISTREE EMEA will gather more than 1000 senior executives including vendors, plus distributors, retailers and e-tailers from across the entire EMEA theatre. The annual event provides a powerful business development platform for consumer technology brands at all stages of maturity to manage, build or launch channels across the expansive EMEA region.

Alexandra Sinson, Event Director for DISTREE EMEA, said: “Next year’s event will reflect the fundamental changes taking place within the go-to-market ecosystem for consumer technology products in EMEA. Brand identity, channel models and time-to-market are now critical factors determining the success of a product within the multiple markets that make up the EMEA region.”

While the traditional vendor-distributor-retailer sales model continues to form the foundation of the consumer technology channel in EMEA, it is now part of a more varied and complex go-to-market ecosystem, which brands need to fully embrace to build sales across the region.

“The wider go-to-market ecosystem will be fully represented at DISTREE EMEA,” explained Sinson. “This now includes online marketplaces, logistics and fulfilment specialists, group buying sites and a range of marketing services providers. DISTREE EMEA 2016 will give participating brands a unique opportunity to meet a wide range of companies capable of improving their consumer reach and sales volumes.”

Approximately 200 product brands will be represented at DISTREE EMEA 2016. Utilising DISTREE Events’ extensive EMEA channel database, senior executives from the most influential volume distributors in 60-plus countries will be invited to attend. They will be joined by senior executives and product buyers from e-tailers and retailers spanning 40 European markets.

Sinson continued: “Each delegate will have the opportunity to view and research all attendees prior to the event and request one-on-one meetings with those most closely aligned to their business needs. This allows vendors to build a tailored agenda focused on markets that are most strategic to their aims in EMEA. It also allows channel delegates to concentrate on specific product categories.”

The participating brands at DISTREE EMEA 2016 will represent a wide variety of product categories spanning technology and consumer electronics. Fast-growing product categories including wearables, drones, audio and smart home products will be allocated more space within the exhibition area in 2016. Core products such as PCs, tablets, smartphones and related accessories will also feature extensively at next year’s event.

“We’re seeing a proliferation of brands in the market,” explained Sinson. “The commoditisation of the manufacturing process in some categories means that brand perception and channel enablement are now major differentiators in the market. DISTREE EMEA 2016 is a focused, trade-only event that enables brands to position themselves for success in multiple markets.”

DISTREE EMEA 2016 will also include a series of awards programmes designed to identify rising stars, hot new products, best-in-class brands as well as distributors and retailers that have excelled in the EMEA region during the previous year.

Sinson explained: “The DISTREE Diamond Awards will allow delegates to select the outstanding brands by product category based on their presence and interaction at the event. The Fresh new technology showcase, hosted by Sightline Group, will introduce delegates to some hot new brands and products. The ’60 Seconds to Convince’ awards will give a number of exhibitors the chance to deliver a one-minute elevator pitch to the entire DISTREE EMEA delegate base, with the winners determined by a live electronic vote.”

In addition, DISTREE EMEA 2016 will also host the ‘EMEA Channel Academy: 2016 Awards’ as part of its overall programme. These awards recognise distributors, retailers and e-tailers for channel excellence and will take place for the 8th consecutive year in 2016.

DISTREE EMEA 2016 will also include a packed conference programme including keynotes, workshops and summits focused on a wide range of topical issues. As an independent event, DISTREE EMEA will invite a wide range of channel experts from multiple research houses and consultancies, giving delegates access to cutting-edge content and deep insights into the latest market trends and data.

Event Partner GfK will deliver a keynote speech, a series of workshops and a lunchtime briefing session for senior executives at DISTREE EMEA 2016. Content Partner CONTEXT will host the Smart Channels Summit – a half-day session focused on how the retail channel will evolve and develop to deliver smart products, connected devices and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and services to consumers in Europe.

The conference programme at DISTREE EMEA 2016 will also include a keynote from Nick Sohnemann, Founder & Managing Director at Futurecandy, focused on how new ways of doing business and engaging with consumers are changing the traditional roles of manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Sohnemann is one of Europe’s leading experts in trend and innovation research.

Sinson continued: “There are multiple challenges for the EMEA consumer technology channel and also many new business opportunities. By bringing the entire go-to-market ecosystem together in one place at one time for a focused trade event, DISTREE EMEA offers a wide range of business benefits and a clear return on the time invested in attending.”

“Whether it is developing effective multichannel strategies, implementing clear pricing policies, building brand awareness or working with retailers to improve consumer engagement, DISTREE EMEA gives brands the opportunity to have purposeful discussions with senior decision makers capable of delivering tangible business results across EMEA,” Sinson concluded.

DISTREE EMEA increased its available exhibition area by relocating to the Grimaldi Forum in 2015. This move has created the capacity to host a greater number of exhibitors, delegates and trade press at the event. All vendors, distributors, retailers and e-tailers wishing to attend DISTREE EMEA 2016 can register their interest HERE