Luxury Lifestyle Awards Middle East: Honoring the Best
The most anticipated event in the world of luxury – the Gala Ceremony of the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2015 Middle East – took place on the 21st of May at the fabulous Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Dubai. More than 250 guests, anxious to be the first to find out the names of the Winners, gathered for the Gala Dinner.
After months of excitement and anticipation, the names of the Winners were finally revealed. Please welcome the Winners of the following categories:
Luxury Hotels: Waldorf Astoria Ras Al Khaimah (United Arab Emirates), Waldorf Astoria Jeddah – Qasr Al Sharq (Saudi Arabia), Rixos Sharm El Sheikh (Egypt), Palmalife Marina Hotel (Turkey)
Luxury Spa and Wellness Center: Dalouk Wellness Spa (United Arab Emirates), Al Faisaliah Spa by ESPA (Saudi Arabia), Celebrity Spa (Kazakhstan)
Luxury Restaurant: Zuma Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates), Nozomi (Saudi Arabia), EAST restaurant a part of Parmigiano Group (Kazakhstan), Mangal Steak House (Azerbaijan)
Luxury Residential Real Estate: Alfardan Properties (Qatar), Tatweer Housing Company (Saudi Arabia)
Luxury Jewelry Brand: Toujous Jewellery (United Arab Emirates), L'azurde Jewelry (Saudi Arabia)
Luxury Beauty Salon: Rimax Beauty Center (Kazakhstan)
Luxury Interior Design Company: 4 SPACE interior design (United Arab Emirates), CHELEBI Furniture and Décor (Azerbaijan), Batyr Ospanov Designs (Kazakhstan)
National Brand: SYLKA™ Carpets (United Arab Emirates), Sia & Moore Architecture Interior Design (Turkey), Sara Hegazy (Egypt), Pasha Life Insurance (Azerbaijan), Fanilla Couture (Qatar)
National Fashion Designer: Zeina Slaiby (Lebanon), Mamzi by Mariam Abdelghany (Egypt)
Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2015 Middle East was attended and evaluated by the honorary guests and juries including the members of Royal Families of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Qatar, representatives of world-renowned luxury companies such as Bvlgari and LVMH, Xerjoff International, RFMAS Group, EMEA Trump Hotel Collection, The Kanoo Group, ESCADA, Vertu, L’oreal Luxe and others.
All the Winners have been rewarded with the Golden Crowns by the Italian jewelry brand Faraone Mennella, as well as with the custom-made certificates in support of their undeniable excellence.
Luxury Lifestyle Awards expresses its deepest gratitude to its Title Partner Audi Corporate for its contribution to the event and providing the guests with an opportunity to appreciate the perfection and magnificence of Audi RS7 and A8 models.
The time flew by with Talos Diamond Watches Partner that dazzled the guests with its high-end timepiece craftsmanship and exclusive diamond encrusted pieces. The Artisanal Partner Le Vault displayed the extraordinary handcrafted pieces and presented the custom-made gifts to the Luxury Interior Design Studio Winners while Atelier Habib, Interior Design Partner, displayed the artwork by Helmut Zwerger.
BLK, an Official Water Partner of the Luxury Lifestyle Awards granted the guests with the refreshing experience of tasting the first fulvic-enhanced mineral water. Crochet Flowers, Official Flower Partner, provided the beautiful flower arrangements and stunning winners’ bouquets for the Gala Ceremony.
Luxury Lifestyle Awards also expresses its gratitude to the Falcon Aviation Services – Jet Partner, Pasha Life Insurance – Insurance Partner, and Luxury World Key – Concierge Partner for their supporting the Middle East Gala Ceremony.
An unforgettable evening in Casino Royal style would have been impossible without the help and support of the event agency Plan A Events, creating the real “Bond” atmosphere.
Luxury Lifestyle Awards wishes all the participants to maintain their high-level status and to delight clients by excellent quality and would be pleased to see them among the guests of the Luxury Lifestyle Awards 2015 Singapore.
Luxury Spotlight: Scott Eddy, Entrepreneur, Public Speaker & Consultant
A serial entrepreneur, Scott Eddy is the digital guru you can depend on to help you form lasting meaningful relationships for your business. With an enviable base of followers, he sure knows how to create and nurture relationships. Offering corporate training and consulting services for individuals and businesses, he is also a noted public speaker specializing on topics such as Entrepreneurship, Startups, Social Media, Sales, and Motivation.
According to him, “I love starting companies, so when I get an idea, and have the situation (and time) to do it, then I do it.” Presently, he owns a digital agency in Bangkok, where he has a great team, along with whom he manages what he loves to do most – connect with people.
Let’s take a look at how he began on his career as a digital nomad.
As someone who is both an entrepreneur and on a PanAmerican road trip, your blog post "What it’s like to be an entrepreneur and a serious traveler at the same time" resonated with me. You talk about using social media to connect with people in real-life throughout your travels. Any tips on how to find the right people to connect with?
Whenever I am going to a new country, before I go I always go through Twitter to see who is the most active and engaging (brands and people) I try to connect with them, and usually a good group of people reach out to me. I use Twitter for this because out of all the social media platforms, Twitter is the quickest way to connect with someone.
There has been a lot of controversies surrounding Facebook in the last year and many brands have considered shutting down their account for good. In this new Facebook era, what do you recommend to brands who are trying to build a loyal following on Facebook.
Facebook is definitely making it harder everyday. Basically I would say you 'have to' set aside a budget to do paid campaigns through Facebook, if that is against what you believe it, then I feel it will be impossible to build a huge following on there. And if you do achieve it, the way they have things set up, even if you do have a huge following, if you are not paying for 'boosts' or 'sponsored' posts, then your following will not see most of what you post anyway.
Twitter is a great way to build connections with industry peers. As someone who now has hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, can you give us a tip on how to build a loyal fan base?
This is exactly what I talk about when I do consulting for this industry. The first thing I recommend is to find your competitors, and see who is engaging with them, see who follows them, and follow those people. From my experience, if I follow 100 of those people, usually about 25-50% of them will follow back. And if you are doing this everyday, think about the possibilities. I say this to everyone, and I will say to you as well, Twitter is the best platform out there!!!!!
Instagram is a great way to both capture your travel and connect with others who share the same passion. What type of pictures do you find works best to inspire likes and comments from the community?
I think it depends on your following. I usually post quotes, travel pics and, of course, food pics. You have to remember, most of social media is people living vicariously through other people, so try to post unique images, things with the 'wow effect.'
Although a lot of brands tend to dismiss Google + for other social networks, Google seems keen on making it a leader. In your opinion, should brands give this network the chance it deserves?
I feel that unless you are deep into the technology, this platform is useless. I know some people have success there, but I just don't see it. I have tried a few times with zero success. If its working for you, I applaud you, but I am done with it.
Of all the social media channels you engage on, which one do you prefer and why?
I think my answer is a little obvious. I don't think anything can touch Twitter. You can connect with someone immediately, with less than 12% of all accounts are private you can see what they are talking about and who they are engaging with, and this is the place that most news agencies are getting their first reports from....so it's definitely the place to be for me!
Do you monitor your Klout score on a daily/weekly basis? Do you think this social ranking is of any real value to determine influence?
Klout is an interesting topic. While I think it is a remarkable tool, I doubt the credibility behind it. Let me give you an example, about a year ago I had a ranking of 76, at that time I had about 250-275K followers on Twitter, and less than 5K on Facebook and Instagram. Now I am much more engaging, have over 500K followers on Twitter and 20K on Facebook and 30K on Instagram (and did I mention MUCH more engaging) and now my Klout score is 72. For me, Klout is EXTREMELY frustrating and I just don't get how they get their scores.
In your opinion, which social media will lead the way in the next 5-10 years?
I think Twitter will get much more relevant, and I think while Facebook will still be relevant, I think they will push more and more people away.
If you had to mentor a new social media newbie, what is your go-to advice to become successful?
Build relationships!!! To be honest, that is all I do on Twitter. I am not looking to sell anything, I have no other motive. I want to make as many friends as I can around the world, because some of those relationships will turn into long-lasting business relationships.
Want to connect with him? Find him on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube. Or, you can reach out to us for an introduction.
The Greatest Challenges For Luxury Brands
The first greatest challenge for any luxury brand is trying to define the term ‘Luxury.’ The word itself – Luxury - is being used and abused so much that it seems to be losing its real meaning. However, a clear understanding of the true meaning of the term ‘Luxury’ is very important for products and brands to position themselves in the market. It is important for true luxury brands to carve an identity and make themselves distinctly different from other brands such as the premium and the fast fashion brands. This positioning of a brand as a ‘real luxury brand’ is important if the brand identity and brand values are to be established and maintained.
Going forward, luxury brands are able to sustain growth and retain market share only when they offer ubiquitous products that do not compromise on uniqueness. The key lies in catering to the masses while, at the same time, nurturing craftsmanship and brand values.
The Rise of the Online Shopper
The Internet, over the past decade, has become the most influential medium for customers. Moreover, these customers actively discuss various brands in social media circles and forums. In addition to this, there are a number of luxury brands that are being promoted by various third-party sources. So, luxury brands need to find a place for themselves in the online world if they have to stay relevant. A strong online presence for luxury brands will, undoubtedly, allow them to gain access to various customer groups; it also helps them become part of a world where new sources of revenue are constantly generated. However, the very essence of the Internet is pervasiveness, making it very difficult for a luxury brand to carve a niche space for itself. Moreover, the Internet is, in general, full of counterfeit products, fake imitations and more – where a single search for a luxury brand will throw up a number of look-alike products and fake rip-offs. Luxury brands have to offer premium products at premium prices, restrict distribution, translate brand aesthetics into their website, create online-offline interactions, bring a human face to their online persona and invite customer participation.
Dynamic Market Approach
The market is ever-changing, and to cater to this dynamic nature of the market, luxury brands have to understand the unique interplay of various market characteristics. With cultural, financial, political, media and communication elements being distinctly different from one market to the other, luxury brands have to consider a different dynamic market approach. They have to know whether they can take a country or market model and use it as a standard of approach for other countries or markets. Typically, luxury brands do not have the luxury of replicating market strategies – they have to adapt different strategies while targeting different markets.
Understanding Today's Luxury Customer
Traditionally, luxury products were designed and created only for the select few; the elite; the affluent. However, luxury, today, is not reserved for the rich and the elite – a new era has dawned where wealth and income are not the only criteria for defining class. The buying motive of consumers has undergone a drastic change during the past 20 years, with consumers buying luxury goods not only to satisfy a need to impress others but also to satisfy one’s self-identity.
The concept of offering discounts to customers has, in many ways, discredited the brand image and value of many companies. Studies have shown that discounted pricing may adversely affect a luxury brand, as the sheen of class and grandeur is lost. However, with the changing global scenario, most luxury brands have to provide discounts to their customers in order to maintain the market share and presence.
The greatest challenges for luxury brands will be to stay true to its identity while adapting to new realities. What challenges are you facing?