Attendance at GESS and GEF 2012 up 20%

Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions and the Global Education Forum (GESS & GEF) - the Middle East’s largest education exhibition – on Wednesday released figures for its 2012 event. The 2012 exhibition saw a dramatic increase in visitors and increased footfall; attendance was up 20 per cent on last year’s show with 6,000 education professionals from over 60 countries attending.

The show also recorded its highest ever participation by exhibitors, with Ministries of Education from five GCC countries exhibiting at the show, along with over 250 businesses and organisations from more than 30 countries, up 7.5 per cent on 2011.  The three day exhibition took place at the Dubai World Trade Centre from February 28th – March 1st 2012.

GESS and GEF was organised under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and supported by Humaid Moh’d Al Qutami, Minister of Education for the UAE. This year’s event ran under the banner, “Teaching and Learning in the Knowledge and Technology Era”, and highlighted the increasing role of technology in the classroom. 

Humaid Moh’d Al Qutami said: “For the fifth year in a row, GESS and GEF has successfully drawn top players from across the GCC education sector. It is encouraging to see so many Government representatives and organisations from across the Gulf working together to support the industry.  Education represents the future of our nations, our region and our world. This year’s Forum brought clear and cohesive insights about where our sector is heading, and what that means for the future of our educational systems and our students.”

Over three days, GESS exhibitors showcased hundreds of products and services, with participating companies including global industry leaders and innovators like Pearson, Promethean, Samsung and Yas Marina Circuit. At the Global Education Forum, more than 160 papers were presented, including exhibitor lectures, teacher training workshops, and mobile learning features, and 100 international sector experts. 

Essam A. Quwayhis, Education Consultant, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education, commented:  “This is the first time the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Ministry of Education has participated in an education exhibition in Dubai. We are very pleased to have been invited to an exhibition which holds such significance across the education sector, and are delighted to see such a strong interest in our stand.”

Madhav Narayan, Regional Director- GCC, Samsung Electronics commented: “GESS has drawn an overwhelming number of participants this year; we’ve been kept extremely busy throughout the event. GESS and GEF take place at an appropriate time when across the Middle East – especially the Gulf region – there is a big push to take education to the next level. More than ever, sector specialists are seeking solutions to provide enhanced teaching and learning experiences resulting in richer, more interactive experiences for students, teachers and administrators.”

Matt Thompson, Project Director, GESS, commented: “2012 marks our first year at the Dubai World Trade Centre. We anticipated an increase in both exhibitors and visitors this year, but the response far exceeded our expectations. Such high numbers are incredibly encouraging and speak of the strong regional interest in the rapidly developing education sector.”

Thompson explained: “GEF played a large part in pushing the event beyond the realm of the typical industry exhibition. We worked hard to create an interactive experience for our visitors. It was important that this event was more than a trade expo, so this year’s show offered an exceptional range of activities and features. The response to our Forum seminars, workshops and lectures proved to be a clear highlight for participants.”

GESS showcases the latest products, technologies and useful resources in the education sector, and GEF is an innovative event concept which combines hands-on workshops, seminars and lectures from regional and global experts for educational professionals. GESS & GEF is scheduled to run next year from 5th-7th March at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.