Dubai: The curtain came down on GITEX Technology Week 2014, ending five days of futuristic product launches, progressive conferences and a series of engaging education forums, industry briefings and exhibitor networking events which delivered demonstrable ROI for more than 100,000 visitors from 150 countries.
With market research company Gartner anticipating a growth rate of eight per cent in regional ICT spending this year – compared with global growth of just 2.1 per cent – more than 3,700 exhibitors from 61 countries leveraged the 34th edition of the largest ICT event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) to showcase cutting-edge solutions, services and products, and share transformational developments across the show’s four knowledge themes: Smart, Cloud, Big Data and Mobility.
“GITEX is unique in this region; there is no other event that gives us the opportunity to meet with peers, competitors, customers and partners – it’s been very busy this year and non-stop for us,” Saaed Agha, General Manager, Middle East, Palo Alto Networks, said. “It’s our second year at GITEX; we want to be sending a statement to our customers and our partners that we’re here and we’re investing in the region. “
Leading international technology companies leveraged GITEX Technology Week to secure multi-million dirham deals and strategic partnerships with a host of regional private and public sector entities, while highlighting how cutting-edge products and innovations can drive regional Smart City and Smart Government initiatives. Heavyweight regional and international companies signing major deals and strategic agreements at the show included Cisco, Ericsson, Avaya, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Dell, HP, Microsoft, Etisalat and du.
“STC is going through a major transformation in ICT and GITEX is the best place to connect and network with customers,’’ Dr. Tarig Mohammed Enaya, Senior VP Enterprise Business Unit, STC, said, which extended its long-standing partnership with Ericsson to transform, expand and upgrade its network in Saudi Arabia, while also announcing the launch of Manchester United Television (MUTV) in the Kingdom.
“GITEX Technology Week has hosted an outstanding line-up of conferences and events to drive regiona technology adoption and provide thought leadership for the region’s ICT industry,’’ Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Exhibitions and Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the show organizer, said.
“We’ve witnessed a bumper amount of strategic deals for both global brands and local technology leaders, and delivered an excellent turnout of high-quality visitors which has created strong, demonstrable ROI for all our attendees. GITEX is now woven into the innovative fabric of the ICT industry – both regionally and globally.’’
Away from the bumper deals and partnerships, highlights of GITEX Technology Week 2014 included the second annual Cloud Awards, which recognised the most innovative, cutting-edge implementations of Cloud technology in the region; the return of the Big Data Conference, which featured an international panel of industry thought-leaders, and a series of tailored Industry Briefings, which delivered intensive knowledge-sharing and networking for C-level executives in key industry verticals including banking and finance, retail, government and healthcare.
With a 53-screen network across the show-floor – plus daily coverage through the GITEX Live Blog – GITEX TV emerged as the show’s principal broadcast medium. The dedicated in-house TV format featured breaking news, exhibitor interviews, live twitter feeds, exciting innovations from the exhibition floor and edited daily highlights programmes.
New features at GITEX Technology Week 2014 included one of the most expansive and diverse smart technology experiences ever assembled at an international ICT trade show. The Smart engagement began with a seamless and paperless registration, check-in and payment process – just one aspect of a new ‘On Track for the Smart Experience’ initiative run in conjunction with Etisalat, the show’s Official Smart Experience Partner.
Designed to evolve the overall attendee journey by integrating the latest ICT innovations such as smart networking and interactive navigation and marketing powered through the enhanced GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK App, ‘On Track for the Smart Experience’ gave visitors more power and freedom to navigate the show floor, connect with exhibitors and fellow attendees, manage daily calendars, find conferences and workshops, and even win a brand-new first Lincoln MKC from the show’s Official Smart Car Partner.
Other new features inside the 1,100,000 square feet show included live blogs in English & Arabic, strategically-placed advanced Bluetooth technology-enabled iBeacons and interactive way-finding touch screens.
“Every year we see GITEX getting better than ever before in terms of structure, organisation, services, the space itself and the quality of visitors,’’ Alaa Alshimy, VP Enterprise Group and MD, MENA, HP, said. “GITEX is the biggest forum for IT in this part of the world and we are very glad and honoured to be here every single year.”
Finally, GITEX Technology Week’s positioning as a strategic gateway into the growing Middle East and African ICT market was reflected by the choice of Nigeria – Africa’s largest economy, population and high-growth ICT market – as the show’s Official Country Partner. Nigeria, which has 120 million mobile users and 87 per cent mobile penetration by population according to IDC, used GITEX Technology Week to attract foreign investment into its ICT infrastructure to support its rapidly expanding technology market.