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19 March 2024

Offers, raffles – and 'live' IPL matches

Published
By Joseph George and Bindu Suresh Rai

The Spring Season of the Gitex Shopper finally opens its doors today for four days of gadget frenzy, bumper bundle deals and daily draws to drive home in a new 2014 Honda Accord.

Gear up for the best in electronics, with the latest smartphones, hybrid laptops, cameras and OLED TVs expected to be prime draws of this year’s edition.

Pic: Bindu Suresh Rai

Expect some serious promotions on older models of Samsung Galaxy, Nokia Lumia series and HTC One gadgets. Both Samsung and HTC have launched their latest editions with the Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8.

In a first this year, Dubai Metro timings have also been extended on Friday (April 25) to run from 10am to 1am to accommodate the throngs of shoppers expected on the weekend.

Gitex is known for bundle offers and those who plan to upgrade to a latest model can expect some great deals not just from retailers but also from local telecom operators. The recently concluded electronics show in Abu Dhabi saw smartphone prices drop by Dh200 on all models by opting for a post-paid offer with etisalat.

Pic: Bindu Suresh Rai

“Gitex Shopper continues to be the premier event for consumer electronics in the region, as customers attend in waves to snag the latest cutting-edge electronics on the market, combined with the best deals,” said Marco Vocale, Head of Corporate Marketing at Samsung Gulf Electronics.

Both BlackBerry and Samsung will have individual stands during the four-day show at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

“The mobile market has developed significantly in the last decade, with smartphones enabling us to connect and communicate easily, work more efficiently and make our life much easier, thanks to the endless range of applications available," said Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice-President, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), organiser of Gitex Shopper Spring.

Pic: Bindu Suresh Rai

According to DWTC, customers can expect prizes worth several millions as part of promotions, raffles and giveaways. There is also a limited edition Honda Accord to be won every day of the show.

For those of you planning to take advantage of the bargains that will run across 30,000 gadgets at Gitex Shopper this season, here’s a simple guide to plan your journey and a sneak peek into some of the shopping deals to watch out for.

When and where is the Shopper being held?

Gitex Shopper Spring will run from April 23 to 26 at the Dubai World Trade Centre, running from 11am to 11pm every day.

How can I get there?

The Dubai Metro’s red line World Trade Centre Station serves the exhibition centre.

The metro runs from Saturday to Wednesday from 5:50am until midnight and from 5.50am to 1am on Thursday and Friday.

Pic: Bindu Suresh Rai

This year, the Roads and Transport Authority has extended Friday metro timings to accommodate shoppers, with the timings from 10am until 1am April 25.

For those using the park and ride facility of Dubai Metro, car parking is available on the Red Line at Rashidiya, Nakheel Harbour and Towers and on the Green Line at etisalat.

For those bringing their own cars, a multi-storey car park (Levels 3 to 6) is located at the Sheikh Rashid Tower next to Trade Centre Arena and Halls 1 and 2 costing Dh10 per hour.

Free car parking is available at car parks 1A, 1B and 1C opposite the Novotel Hotel and car park two located opposite Zabeel Hall.

How much are the tickets priced at and where can I buy them?


Tickets are priced at Dh15 per person, per entry. Entrance for children below the age of five is free.

Children below the age of 14 years must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Those who want to avoid queues at the venue can buy tickets at most Emarat petrol pumps across Dubai and Sharjah.

What about the raffles?

This year, a Limited Edition Honda Accord DX can be won every day, along with 40 Toshiba Encore WT8 Tablets (Windows 8 tablet) and FlashAir Wireless SD Card just by visiting the show.

A sneak peek at crazy offers to watch out for…

Some of the deals being touted at the Spring edition includes ‘buy a device over Dh2,000 from One Mobile and get a free home theatre system, an MP4 player, a Powerbank, a Stereo Bluetooth headset, an 8GB memory card and a stereo headset.

Besides smartphones, retailers are also expected to bundle tablets with some innovative offers. Expect some low-end tablets to be bundled with smartphone and laptop sales. But for those aiming at a more premium segment, there’s always the new Samsung Note Pro. The 12.2-inch device almost gets you an entry into the hybrid series although performance-wise it still does not match up to the Windows pro tablets.

Chrome books first made their entry during last year’s Gitex and were priced at a little over Dh1,000, but expect them to be more popular this season amidst concerns of declining PC sales. Expect some price drops on Chrome books this year especially on Samsung, HP and Lenovo devices.

OLED TVS are another major segment with LG and Samsung vying for the top slot. Samsung, for one, will be retailing for the first time in the region the world’s largest 105” curved UHD TV.

Ashish Panjabi, COO of Jacky's Electronics said: “The focus will be on bundle offers once again this spring edition with smartphone, laptops and TVs driving the buying frenzy. If you compare it to the October edition, that is traditionally more about large raffle draws and bigger offers. The April edition is simple and focused on deals and offers.”

The headline mentions something about live IPL matches…


If you were gutted that you would miss out on your favourite team playing as the Gitex shopping frenzy continues, the organisers have set up a giant screen for fans where visitors can watch the matches live at the event.