Gitex Technology Week 2013 to be bigger and better

Dubai: Gitex Technology Week 2013, which is taking place in Dubai from October 20-24, is poised to become the most comprehensive edition yet in the event’s history.

The event organiser’s optimism comes as the local IT market continues to grow. the latest forecast by Gartner suggests that IT spend in the Middle East will hit $192.9 billion (Dh707.9 billion) in 2013, up 5.5 per cent from last year.

Running under the theme “Lets Create, Disrupt and Re-imagine Together”, the 33rd edition of Gitex will be head at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Now firmly established as Middle East Africa and South Asia’s (MEASA) top ICT event — and one of the most influential in the world — Gitex Technology Week attracted 139,000 ICT professionals from 144 countries last year, with around 80 per cent of world’s leading ICT brands present.

Landmark performance

Trixee Loh, Senior Vice-President at Dubai World Trade Centre, believes the event has what it takes to outdo 2012’s landmark performance.

“This year, we have done everything we can to give Gitex Technology Week a new edge and relevance. Among other things, we’re ramping up our international reach, introducing incisive, trend-dissecting features like the Big Data Conference, as well as proactively unearthing and celebrating new talent through a series of competitions,” Loh said in a statement on Thursday.

“We’re also proudly hosting new events of global stature like InfoComm MEA and the GSMA Mobile 360 series, once again emphasising our ability to attract the world’s top technology game-changers. The buzz surrounding Gitex Technology Week 2013 has already begun, and I am confident that all the pieces are in place for this year’s theme of creation, disruption and re-imagination to leave a lasting legacy that we can continue to build on well into the future,” she said, adding that around 95 per cent of the exhibitors plan to return this year, apart from a host of newcomers.

Gitex Technology Week aims to increase its numbers of international visitors and exhibitors. Last year 19 per cent of visitors hailed from Africa, 13 per cent from the Americas, four per cent from the East and South Asia and four per cent from Europe.

Speakers

Confirmed conference speakers to date include Terry Kane, Head of Digital Strategy, Jumeirah Group; Fayyaz Alam, VP, IT, Emirates Group; Saeid Hejazi, CEO, Wally; Zubair Ahmad, vice president and Head of IT, Emirates Islamic Bank; and Ahmad Al Rayes, Founder and CEO, Gamfield Labs.

“Gitex is an amazing place to meet most of our customers and prospects in a very short period of time. It is also an opportunity for us to showcase technologies supported by our partners. We have seen Gitex evolve year over year, and we are excited that it is now the top event of its kind in the MEASA region,” Abdul Wahed Bendaoua, Head of Enterprise, Emerging Markets — EMEA at Google, said in a statement.