Dubai gets ready for Gitex madness

It may seem a bit strange at a curtain-raiser for one of the biggest technology events of the year to give over so much time to discuss parking.

But the numbers alone are enough to explain why the topic is such an issue for this year's Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (Gitex) – with more than 3,300 companies represented and 130,000 people expected to visit from over 83 countries.

Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director-General of organiser Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), allayed some fears of traffic and delays when he spoke at a briefing ahead of the week-long event, which officially begins tomorrow.

Arrangements include extended parking areas in and around the three main events – Business Solutions, Gulfcomms and Consumer Electronics. Visitors will be offered "park and ride" options, 60 dedicated buses will ply people from all major locations around the city.

While the success of such arrangements remain to be tested, it has not stopped the number of exhibitors flocking to the event – being billed as "one of the biggest and most spectacular IT exhibitions in the world".

Al Marri stressed the UAE's IT sector was in rude health and the region as a whole continued to be financially stable. "The regional market continues to hold itself extremely well despite the global unease," he said.

According to research by financial analysts Global Insight, the Middle East is projected to spend more than $73 billion (Dh267bn) on information and communication technology (ICT) in 2008 and $95bn by 2011. The UAE is not succumbing to global pressures either, with spending of about $11.4bn on ICT this year.

Internet giant Google, which opened its Dubai office last year, will be at GITEX for the first time. The company recently announced it will release Arabic versions of Gmail and browser Chrome.

Regional marketing manager Yasmina Brihi said the company will continue to bring even more services to Arab users on the web.

"Everything from launching Knol [web-publishing tool for user-generated content] in Arabic, as the second language worldwide, to the launch of iGoogle, Gmail and Chrome in Arabic showcases our commitment to the region and providing access to information," she said.

"We have a lot more to do but we hope Gitex visitors will come by the booth so we can show them what we've been up to."

Data storage company Western Digital is also a first-time participant.

"We will be utilising Gitex as a platform to focus and re-emphasise our strength and specialty in the storage area. We see the exhibition as a fantastic opportunity to directly address one of the fastest growing technology markets in the world," said Didier Trassaert, Senior Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Dubai-based Al Taqnyah, a business solutions provider, will showcase its latest wares, including Biometric Signature, a technology that analyses the shape, speed, stroke order, pen pressure and timing captured during the act of signing and saves it so it cannot be forged.

"It's a simple and natural biometric authentication system that increases data security and enables trusted document authorisation," said Managing Director Usman Zafar, who added that his company was using the exhibition to increase its visibility regionally.

Other major names at Gitex this year include HP, Microsoft, Oracle, Panasonic, Samsung and Symantec, among others.

The Gitex Shopper and Consumer Electronics Expo, another component, is set to begin today at Dubai Airport Expo, a day before the official opening.

With more than 25,000 technology products from thousands of exhibitors, the event has undergone unprecedented growth in visitor numbers over the years.

This year, a live gaming segment called Gitex Digital Game World has been introduced to offer gaming activities, tournaments and promotional sales from sponsors and exhibitors. A gaming competition will see participants battle it out for a collective prize pot of Dh200,000.

Projector manufacturer Optoma's regional territory manager Adam Dent, a long- time participant, said its theme for this year's event would be "portability".

"The general projector market growth from 2006 to 2007 was more than 50 per cent. We also expect to see continued strong growth in the home cinema projector market over the next few years," he said.

"The local projector market is expected to grown phenomenally with a projected $5.1bn by 2012 in Saudi Arabia alone." Dent said his company would be launching a world-first product tomorrow, but declined to reveal more information.

"With new high-definition models and our new, portable products, there will be something of interest to everyone on the Optoma stand," he said.

This year's Gitex Shopper will see almost a 26 per cent increase in exhibition space – with extra names such as Acer, Sandisk, etisalat and du added to the list, say organisers.

Household names in consumer electronics – Jacky's, Jumbo, Emirates Computers, CompuMe and Oasis Electronics – will also be present to showcase their range of products. Panasonic will display its 102-inch plasma TV – the world's largest – for the first time in the Middle East.

China will bring in the biggest delegation this year while organisations from Bahrain, Ireland, Romania and Thailand will be participating at country pavilions.

Gitex this year will also assert its green credentials, according to Trixee Loh, Senior Vice-President for Exhibitions and Events Management at DWTC.

"We will be running a recycling campaign throughout the event and we are working to introduce some eco-friendly concepts to our exhibitors and visitors," she said earlier this week.


The numbers

3,300: Number of companies represented this year
64,000: sq m gross exhibition space
130,000: Projected number of visitors this year
124,317: The number of visitors in 2007


How to register

- Gitex at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre is a trade-only event. Online registration at gitex.com closes today at 1pm. Onsite registration will be available on the day for industry professionals. The price of a one-day pass is Dh40 and Dh100 for a five-day pass. Admission includes access to all events including Gitex Business Solutions, Gulfcomms and Consumer Electronics. 

- Gitex Shopper and Consumer Electronics Expo at Dubai Airport Expo is open to the public. Beginning today, doors open at 11am to 10pm till Thursday and from 3pm to 10pm on Friday, the closing day. Tickets at Dh20.


Do not miss

- Scott McNealy: The chairman and co-founder of Sun Microsystems will deliver the opening address tomorrow. An invitation-only event, McNealy will speak on Sharing Wins: How open source technology is driving economic growth and social progress.

- Gitex Digital Game World: A live entertainment and console-based gaming area, this new addition will feature gaming competitions. with a collective prize money of Dh200,000 up for grabs. 

- Gitex Mega Draw: Spend and get a chance to win a car, digital cameras, camcorders, LCD TVs and a collection of other gadgets.