DUBAI – a Must-Visit for the Shopping Center Industry! Dubai has established itself as a global hub for retail innovation, making it an essential destination for professionals in the shopping center industry. With its cutting-edge malls, pioneering consumer experiences, and bold architectural concepts, the city offers unmatched inspiration and insight into the future of retail. A visit to Dubai is not just a business trip—it’s a gateway to new ideas, partnerships, and growth: Join us on our ACROSS study tour.
Across Study Tour to Dubai & Abu Dhabi November 26th to November 28th
The travel price is 1,490 € per person. Included are a joint dinner including drinks, ground transportation according to the program, travel companionship by Reinhard Winiwarter, Rüdiger Pleus and Will Odwarka. All prices quoted are exclusive of VAT. The tour will only take place with a minimum of 15 participants. The arrival journey and hotel booking must be organized individually.
Flights and Accommodation
Not included in the price and must be organized by each participant himself:
- Flights to and from Dubai
- HOTEL will be selected as soon as the minimum number of participants are confirmed. We will
arrange a special rate; booking is mandatory at this hotel:
o A booking code will be send after registration to the tour
o Rates approx. 200 / 250,– € single / night breakfast & tax included
Tour Highlights
Not only will we visit the largest and most impressive malls on site, but we will also receive exclusive guided tours from market experts and discuss current trends and developments. The tour will also focus on food & beverages and entertainment. The program will be continuously updated and published here.
Tour Programm
*All times and locations are preliminary and subject to change without prior notice. The program will constantly be updated.
Tour organization in cooperation with:
In recent years Rüdiger Pleus has organized study trips to all continents of the world. Besides European trips such as to Lisbon, London, Istanbul, Warsaw, and Moscow, his itinerary has included destinations in the USA, in the Middle East, in Australia and Asia. It is fair to say, looking at the track record, Rüdiger Pleus is considered as one of the most experienced organizers of study tours in the field of retail real estate and shopping malls worldwide.
His unique selling point is in addition to the technical and highly professional aspects, tour participants also gain insights into the lives of local people. His professional background as a hotelier and restaurateur is always noticeable and is particularly evident in the selection of hotels and restaurants. This provides a good basis for successful networking.
get in touch:
Rüdiger Pleus Consulting; consulting@pleus.de; www.pleus.de
Will Odwarka is the Founder and CEO of Dubai-based firm Heartatwork Hospitality Consulting since 2019. As a “local”, he not only knows the market inside out, but also has an excellent local network. He was born and raised in Vienna, Austria. He has 30+ years of experience leading international strategic growth and development, Franchise and partner management, and F&B operations. He successfully opened over 1000+ outlets in over 40 countries for renowned global players such as McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King, Costa, and Wendy’s and smaller players like Creamscafe and Coffeeshopcompany. He strongly focuses on international market entry for F&B players, brand and investor scouting, and AI in hospitality in the Middle East and Europe. Will Odwarka is a guest lecturer at the Academy of Hospitality in Dubai and trainer at the Gregory Vogt School for retail professionals in Dubai. Furthermore, he is a Co-Owner/Operator of Mozart-Hospitality Management, overseeing the operation and development of new food concepts.
About the ACROSS Study Tours
ACROSS started the study tour program in 2023 together with Rüdiger Pleus in order to offer on-site retail experience, show innovative concepts and provide a new platform for networking within the placemaking industry.
“The Study Tour to Stockholm was a great opportunity to visit an attractive selection of leading/ regional dominant shopping center assets, local neighborhood schemes and retail galleries in the Greater Stockholm area, to pick up most recent trends in the Stockholm retail market and to engage in discussions/ exchange with a group of retail professionals from across Europe. The tour offered an ambitious agenda, well planned and with a high-quality content.“ – statement by Erik Schultz, Aareal Bank (Participant Stockholm Tour 2023)
“I must emphasize that the study tour was a success. It provided us with a comprehensive overview of mall operations, marketing strategies, and customer engagement techniques of different types of malls or outlet village perspective. The experience was invaluable, and it was fascinating to see how each mall we visited created a unique ambiance and atmosphere to appeal to its target customers & catchment area.” – statement by Elda Hysenbelli, ACREM (Participant Lisbon Tour 2023)
“I believe this tour of professional attendees and hosts with the similar relevant focus from different countries brought several new ideas and synergy opportunities to everybody. I rate the efficiency of spend energy, time and money very high.“ – statement by Imre-Gustav Vellamaa, R8 (Participant Lisbon Tour 2023)
