The Real Reasons Behind The Success Of Dubai Summer Surprises Over 20 Years Are Seriously Impressive

Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) are currently underway.

A mammoth city-wide festival designed by the powers that be to change the mindset of residents and tourists alike. DSS was created 22 years ago and has transformed from a two mall event to a festival which includes 40 malls, and countless activations across the city.

Preparation takes months.

And DSS is just the beginning. Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment currently over-see 18 events throughout the year, (that’s more than one a month!). And while DSS is underway, the team are already preparing for Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) which takes place in January.

For the DUBAI WORKS podcast, we sat with Suhaila Saqer Gobaash, a Director for Brand Dubai who joins the podcast to talk about the strategy behind the festivals that are unique to Dubai. With ‘shopping, winning and entertainment’ at its core, this is a detailed insight into what has become a significant pillar of Dubai’s successful marketing and event’s strategy.

Every major event revolves around three core experiences

Suhaila discussed her role which revolves around planning, implementation and delivery of the events which include Dubai Summer Surprises, Dubai Shopping Festival, national day, Eid, Dubai Fitness Challenge… 18 in total, two mass events, and others more targeted to the interests of residents, be it fashion or sports.

The process of implementation of each festival means finding communication touch-points for both tourists and residents, mass marketing strategies coupled with aiming to provide more personalised communication experiences, targeted advertising and continuing to evolve each event at a similar pace at which Dubai is progressing. No easy task!

Dubai Works EP 27: Dubai as a summer family-friendly destination and the impressive behind-the-scenes production for Dubai festivals

Main image credit: @hend_alawadhi