Farewell 2020, The future never looked so bright!
Like most, we would be lying if we said we weren't looking forward to 2021 and the fresh start a new year brings.
2020 has been, well quite the year hasn't it?!
With a number of challenges imposed to all industries, the world has had to navigate, pivot and adapt to the hurdles thrown our way, and GLS have been no exception.
2020 marked our 10th anniversary, and was quite honestly our toughest year to date!
As we look ahead to 2021 and continue to rebuild following the pandemic, we wanted to take a second to look back with a positive view on the year that was and the achievements made.
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3 Things we've learnt in 2020
2020 proved to be a big learning curve (amongst other things), so we thought we'd round up 3 things we've taken from this year that have allowed us to become stronger, expand our service offering and continue to offer an A* service to our clients;
1. Sometimes change in good
With the need for WFH, flexible working hours and trust in your team has never been more important than it was is 2020. We would never have believed it was possible to continue to run GLS under the conditions of 2020 had we been warned ahead of time, however we adapted, made changes and continued to grow throughout some of the most challenging times.
2. Newspapers and magazines are still relevant
While the publishing industry has unquestionably seen decline over the past few years, 2020 has shown that consumers enjoy to consume print publications. We just have to worker smarter about getting them in their hands, safely and conveniently.
3. Digital is imperative for growth
We were a firm believe in the co-exsistance of print and digital before 2020, however this year has made the need for a digital offering even more imperative.
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Adapting for the change
Like so many others, we had to overcome a number of restrictions this year that were put in place around the placement and distribution of printed media. This encouraged us to come up with innovative and affective alternatives for our clients that allowed them to continue to reach their readers, no matter where they were. Along with our pick-up-on-demand stand network, ensuring titles we placed in protective poly bags, strengthening our residential door to door offering, and expanding our digital footprint were just some of the avenues we focused on this year.
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Starting the digital transition
If there's one thing that 2020 has taught us, its that offering an alternative to traditional print publications is a must!
Whether your a publisher or a venue, offering your guests a choice of medium when it comes to reading material is something you will have to do sooner or later.
Over the last 9 months we have been working with a number of key hotels here in the region in building them their own bespoke system, that allows them to offer a array of media without the need for the user to engage with 3rd party apps.
We have also developed a lower cost solution that is suited towards a more consumer focused environment such a salons, clinics and cafes.
Some of our venue partners include;
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What does 2021 have in store?
As we look towards 2021 there are a number of exciting opportunities on the horizon as well as continuing to develop the new routes to market we started in 2020.
Expo 2020
Biggest of them all, without a doubt has got to Expo 2020. With the event having been postponed for an entire year, there is perhaps even more focus on 'Welcoming the World' for this one-of-a-kind global event.
The UAE government demonstrated a fantastic approach to the handling of the pandemic, which has lead to continued easing of restrictions, a steady rise in hotel occupancy levels and monthly growth for the regions airports.
This only puts us in a fantastically strong position going into 2021 and Expo 2020.
UAE Tourism
While the pandemic has undoubtedly had a negative impact on the regional tourism sector, the reopening of boarders to tourists back in July, and strong global marketing campaigns by Dubai Tourism has meant the UAE hospitality sector (in particular Dubai) has seen fantastic recovery rates during the second half of 2020.
With this set to continue into 2021, the winter sun season and Dubai being ranked 2nd as a winter holiday destination by CNN there has never been a better time to consider brand placement in the Emirates.
Events
Dubai held the worlds first in-person tech event earlier this month, and there are a number of key events taking place in 201 that are not to be missed.
Our tops picks are:
Dubai International Boat Show | 9th - 13th March 2021
Arabian Travel Market | 16th - 19th May 2021
ADIPEC | 8th - 11th November 2021
Cityscape | 9th - 11th November 2021
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All that's left to say is, THANK YOU to all who have continued to support us throughout 2020. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and a prosperous New Year!
