Dubai: The region's largest consumer electronics event opens its doors on Saturday at the Dubai Airport Expo, with the biggest names in technology offering promotions and launching new products for the benefit of tech-savvy bargain hunters.
This year's event will see previews and regional launches by global players such as Acer, Canon, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Microsoft, Nokia, Samsung, Sandisk and Sony. Promotions and give-aways will be the scene by distributors and retailers such as BDL, CompuME, E-Max, E4U, iSTYLE, Klick, Jacky's Electronics, Jumbo Electronics and Plug-Ins.
Regular exhibitors such as EMAX have increased their floor space by 55 per cent while Jumbo has gone the extra length to launch a series of promotions.
"Jumbo this year is making the biggest splash in terms of making its presence felt by taking over 16 stalls. This year, we've attempted to supersede customer expectations by our promotions.
"With each laptop bought we will be giving out 500 GB portable hard disk drives and accessories worth Dh600. Every hour we will also be holding a raffle for a free iPad," said Deepak Khetrapal, CEO of Jumbo.
Brands such as iSTYLE, E4U, Canon and Dubai Computer Group which includes approximately 100 mainstream ICT traders will be participating for the first time. "Our participation will enable us to connect with the region's tech savvy community and also provide them with the opportunity to take advantage of some of Canon's best offers and promotions.
"This further reinforces Canon's commitment to empowering the region's evolving tech landscape with world class technologies for both home and work," said Hendrik Verbrugghe, marketing manager B2C at Canon ME
Jacky's Electronics predicts that this year will see a spotlight on tablet and smartphone products.
"While laptops will probably contribute 60 per cent of our sales at Gitex Shopper, we do expect to see tablets and smartphones generate more consumer interest this time around.
"Tablets are positioned as devices where you consume content whereas laptops are traditionally used for creating content, so we can expect to see the tablet continue to grow for the foreseeable future," said Ashish Panjabi, COO at Jacky's Electronics LLC.
There will be an interactive how-to-buy session in which technology experts will describe the main features of a particular product category in order to guide buyers in what to look for.
Will you be visiting the Gitex Shopper this year? Do you put off buying electronic goods till Gitex? Or do you manage to get good deals throughout the year? Tell us at readers@gulfnews.com
