Exhibitors from 60 countries at GITEX have placed their trust in Dubai: Sheikh Mohammed
Dubai offers them safe environment both at the event and during their stay in UAE
Dubai: Exhibitors from 60 countries have placed their trust in Dubai’s ability to offer them a healthy and safe environment both at the event and during their stay in Dubai.
This was stated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Binn Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai during his visit on Wednesday to the 40th edition of GITEX Technology Week being held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from December 6-10. Featuring the participation of 1,200 exhibitors from around the world, GITEX is the world’s only live, in-person global technology event to be held amid the pandemic.
Future transition
During the tour, His Highness highlighted the importance of the technology sector in transitioning to the future, adding that focused efforts are required to generate innovative technologies that can tide over the challenges posed by the pandemic and revitalise humanity’s journey of progress.
“The decision to organise GITEX as an in-person event reflects our determination to overcome the current circumstances. It also reflects the UAE’s commitment to supporting its major partners in the global technology industry across the world. By organising GITEX this year, we seek to strengthen and expand our long-standing partnership with them to accelerate our shared journey to the future. I would like to commend the efforts of the event’s organisers in holding this major global event.
Technology hub
“Technology is an important tool to enhance people’s lives and enable them to overcome challenges and turn them into opportunities. As the region’s technology hub, we seek to create a highly conducive environment to promote greater investments in the sector and attract the world’s best talent to develop innovative solutions that can help us strengthen our progress towards sustainable development,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
Sheikh Mohammed was accompanied by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group; Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General of Dubai World Trade Centre Authority (DWTCA), and Khalifa Saeed Sulaiman, Director General of the Dubai Protocol and Hospitality Department.
Pavilion visits
During the tour, His Highness visited a number of pavilions of companies participating in the 40th edition of the event, where he was briefed about their offerings and latest technological innovations.
His Highness visited the Microsoft stand, where Sayed Hashish, General Manager, Microsoft UAE, briefed him on the company’s latest innovations including artificial intelligence (AI) and internet of things (IoT) solutions designed to strengthen food security. The General Manager also briefed His Highness about the Microsoft Surface product portfolio and select partner innovations. One of the key focuses of the briefing was the company’s agricultural solutions like Azure FarmBeats, which uses advanced technology to support sustainable farming practices as part of Microsoft’s ‘AI for Good’ initiative.
Huawei stand
Sheikh Mohammed also visited the Huawei stand, where he was briefed by Charles Yang, President of Huawei Middle East, on the company’s latest innovations and solutions. This year, Huawei has strengthened its commitment to the UAE’s digital transformation agenda with its largest ever participation in GITEX Technology Week.
Huawei has supported the development of 5,000 ICT professionals in the country, created 3,000 job opportunities in the sector, and established partnerships with more than 300 partners in the UAE, noted Yang. Huawei is building on this by announcing, this week, its commitment to supporting 10,000 ICT professionals in the UAE over the next three years. As an end-to-end ICT solutions provider, Huawei looks forward to supporting the UAE’s vision over the next 50 years, as the synergies between connectivity, cloud, AI, computing, and industry applications create unprecedented opportunities for the entire society, said Yang.
Leading technology show
The 40th edition of GITEX Technology Week, which concludes on 10 December serves as an umbrella for the region’s leading technology shows, including GITEX Future Stars, the region’s largest tech start-up event; the Gulf Information Security Expo and Conference (GISEC), the region’s most renowned cybersecurity conference and exhibition; Future Blockchain Summit, the leading platform for transformative technology; and the inaugural edition of Marketing Mania, the new platform for brand marketers.
Country pavilions
GITEX is hosting the pavilions of several nations including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, France, Japan, USA, UK, Belgium, Brazil, Italy, Hong Kong, Poland, Romania, Russia and Nigeria.
The event has attracted major technology players including Avaya, Dell Technologies, du, Etisalat, Honeywell, Huawei, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Red Hat and more. The event has also attracted the participation of many government and private sector organisations from across the UAE.
This year’s edition of GITEX has a line-up of over 350 in-person speakers, from 30 countries, covering major technology trends including artificial intelligence, 5G, future mobility, security and Blockchain among others.