Gitex Diary: Day one

Gulf News business reporter Ivan Gale roams around the giant GITEX and GULFCOMMS technology fairs to bring you the real story.

Royal encounter
My debut at Gitex saw me almost flattened by the media scrum following around Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president of the UAE and ruler of Dubai. It was quite a spectacle and probably the best way to catch a glimpse of Dubai's royal family. Shaikh Mohammad stopped every few booths to make a royal visit, and I found myself drifting along, perhaps imagining myself the long-lost royal from the US. I came to as a horde of photographers surged towards me with the crazed look that comes when a photographer has a shot they cannot mess up, forcing me to dive for cover in Acer's booth.

Size matters
The first thing you notice is the size of the booths. Who knew you could retire upstairs and comfortably knosh on dates and have a tea while chatting with an exec? I don't know when double-decker booths entered the convention scene, but if anyone wants to let theirs out afterwards as a rental property, I think it'd be a step up from my humble digs in Satwa.

Size and style?
With the individuality and the sleek and stylishness of each booth, it reminded me of British derby day. You know, when the ladies outdo each other with ever more ridiculous hats. I bet someone is planning to stun the competition next year with a three-level booth. This year, though, Microsoft probably wins the cake for biggest booth. It takes up a monstrous Bigfoot-sized footprint over the middle of the software hall.

Location, location, location
Speaking of size, the question arose at a pre-conference press conference: who had the bigger booth, etisalat or du? The answer is etisalat. But like in real estate, location is everything, and du's is more centrally located. It also won points for a youthful look and feel. With fresh-faced boothies wearing colorful shirts, a bit reminiscent of the ethos that surrounds Steve Jobs and Apple Computer. I half-expected CEO Osman Sultan come out onto the small ampitheater in du's booth to a bass-pounding cover of Chumbawumba's Tubthumpin', high-tech headpiece microphone attached, just like Jobs. It didn't happen. But, we still have four more days to go.

Awards time
First award of the exhibition. The poor souls in need of sympathy prize goes to the girls soldiering on at the Touchmate stand. These brave beauties have to spend the whole conference prancing about in a badly fitted yellow and blue superman style outfit topped off with brightly coloured flowing cape.