Dubai: The UAE will be the fastest country in the world to recover, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, said on Saturday.
Announcing the launch of Gitex Technology Week that starts on December 6, Sheikh Mohammed said: “Gitex will be the most important technology event in 2020 ... The UAE will be the fastest country in the world to recover and our institutions have proven their ability to adapt,” Sheikh Mohammed tweeted.
“We will conclude 2020 with a global event and we will start 2021 with a series of projects and major initiatives. 2021 our fiftieth year and our golden jubilee, and it will be different from all years,” he said.
The 40th Gitex Technology Week is set to host international technology visionaries, industry innovators and global investors as the tech world finally resumes in-person interaction at Dubai World Trade Centre from 6th-10th December.
"After a year of missed business opportunities, Gitex will unite all corners of the global technology industry as the only major technology event to go live in 2020, providing the world’s only opportunity for in-person networking at a major tech event this year," Dubai World Trade Centre said in a statement.
Gitex Technology Week will showcase the diversity of the global technology industry, hosting over 1,200 exhibitors, including over 300 startups, from over 60 countries.
Global participation
Gitex will host pavilions from some of the world’s most innovative technological nations, including Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, France, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as a conference lineup of over 350 in-person speakers, who are flying into Dubai from 30 countries.
Internationally recognised technology experts will travel to Dubai to share their vision of tomorrow, including maverick hacker, inventor and entrepreneur Pablos Holman and US Secret Service and FBI hacker Bryan Seely, while Gitex’s conference agenda will be headlined by arguably the most influential comedian alive, legendary actor, writer, and comedian John Cleese.
"Technology-driven experiences are what have enabled life to continue regardless of any COVID-19 constraints. We believe that the role and definition of technology has evolved, and at this Gitex we are keen to share Dubai’s story on how we leveraged technology to combat the pandemic and redesigned city experiences around it," said Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General, Smart Dubai Office.
Health and safety
With visitor health and safety being DWTC’s number one priority, Gitex Technology Week will be hosted in full compliance with Dubai Government regulations, as well as the guidelines of the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Municipality.
Admission to Gitex Technology Week is by advanced online registration only. There will be no on-site registration, ticket sales or badge issuance. There is free visitor parking throughout Gitex.
The world’s technology giants will have a presence at Gitex, including Microsoft, Dell Technologies, du, Etisalat, Lenovo, Honeywell, IBM, Red Hat, Avaya and Huawei – revealing the most relevant and strategic technological innovations in artificial intelligence, 5G, future mobility, security and Blockchain among others.
The event will host over 200 of the world’s most influential technology investors, including EBAN (Belgium), MODUS Capital (USA), 500 Startups (Egypt) and MENA Tech Fund (United Kingdom), while for the first time, Israel will bring 40 exhibiting companies across big tech, startups, cybersecurity, telecoms and mobility.
Gitex will also showcase the technological progress of a range of UAE Government entities who are leading the country’s digital economy transformation, including Smart Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Abu Dhabi Government, Dubai Police and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. In addition, the event will feature the presence of Ajman Government, the Fujairah Government and Ministry of Interior KSA.
