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Shaikh Mohammad opens Gitex technology show in Dubai

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday officially inaugurated Gitex Technology Week 2008.

  • By Suzanne Fenton, Staff Reporter
  • Published: 00:03 October 19, 2008
  • Gulf News

  • Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News
  • His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE opened Gitex 2008
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Dubai: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, yesterday officially inaugurated Gitex Technology Week 2008.

During the opening ceremony, Shaikh Mohammad, accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, visited stalls put up by Google, Tecom and Dubai Internet City among others.

More than 130,000 visitors are expected to attend the event over the next five days, about double the number of visitors at City-scape held earlier this month.

However, there were no real crowds on the first day and the atmosphere had more of a buzz than frenzied activity. About 3,300 companies from 83 countries are participating.

As one of the world's top three technology exhibitions, this year's Gitex has evoked widespread interest in the region.

In line with its growing popularity, the event will witness 35 discussions complete with tutorials. Workshops focusing on the development of Arabic software and the gaming industry will also be held.

Many product launches are also slated to be announced, including major announcements from BlackBerry, Dell, Du, Etisalat, HP, Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Panasonic.

While parking and traffic hassles dominated headlines during Cityscape, a "Park and Ride" service is in place to make life easier for Gitex visitors.

"We are honoured to have Shaikh Mohammad open Gitex Technology Week this year. The presence of Shaikh Mohammad highlights the importance of the ICT [information and communication technology] industry to Dubai and the region as companies look to build long-lasting relationships within the UAE and the wider Middle East," Helal Saeed Almarri, director general of the Dubai World Trade Centre, said.

With many new exhibitors on the ICT scene, including Google and Dell, the UAE alone is set to spend about $11.4 billion (Dh41.8 billion) on ICT this year.

Total investments are expected to reach $14.8 billion by 2011. Gitex received 124,317 visitors last year, with around 3,000 exhibitors and Gitex Shopper had generated sales to the tune of Dh97 million.

Gitex Shopper and Consumer Electronics Expo is taking place at Airport Expo, Dubai, until October 24.

At Gitex 2008, one of the biggest highlights on the first day will be the keynote address from the Chairman and Co-Founder of Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, who will be speaking at this year's Gitex Technology Week Global Conference.

Gitex Technology Week 2008 is open from 1pm- 7pm on October 19, 10am- 7pm on October 20-22 and 10am-5pm on October 23.

The exhibition is open to trade and business professionals only. The price of a one-day pass is Dh40 and Dh100 for a five-day pass.

Admission includes access to all events including Gitex Business Solutions, Gulfcomms and Consumer Electronics.

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