Top Regional ICT
Showcase Brings Together More Than 100,000 International Visitors and
World’s Leading ICT Brands
Dubai, United Arab
Emirates
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, formally
opened GITEX Technology Week today, as the 34th
edition of the leading Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
event in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) got underway
at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the show organiser.
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was accompanied on the opening tour of
GITEX Technology Week by His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director
General, Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM)
and CEO, DWTC, as well as a number of leading dignitaries.
GITEX Technology Week 2014, which
runs at DWTC from October 12-16, brings together more than 100,000
ICT professionals from 150 countries and 3,700 exhibiting companies
from 61 countries to share transformational developments across the
show’s four knowledge themes: Smart, Cloud, Big Data and Mobility.
“We are honoured that His Highness
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of
Dubai, has opened GITEX Technology Week,” said His Excellency Helal
Saeed Almarri.“As Dubai prepares for its transformation into a
Smart City by harnessing the power of technology to drive development
and improve civic services, we welcome His Highness Sheikh Hamdan’s
support for GITEX Technology Week, which once again unites the public
and private sectors by bringing the world’s technology community
together.’
“As a cornerstone of the
international ICT landscape and a centre of knowledge exchange and
learning - both regionally and beyond - GITEX Technology Week will
play an important role in realising the vision ofHis Highness Sheikh
Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister
and Ruler of Dubai,to transform Dubai into the world’s Smartest
City over the coming three years,” added Almarri.
As
Dubai's Smart City roll-out is predicted to catalyse an acceleration
of Smart City initiatives in other GCC countries, GITEX Technology
Weekwill
showcase a pioneering app-based Smart Journey Tour featuring Smart
technologyproduct and service insights from more than 26international
companies and Dubai-based government entities.
The Big
Data Conferenceon 14
October will educate on how Big Data can deliver new insights and
enhance ROI in a global Big Data market poised to jump from USD 3.2
billion in 2013 to USD 15.1 billion by 2020.
On the same day, Cloud
Confex returns as the
region’s largest integrated cloud exhibition and conference. With
the
GCC cloud computing
market due to post seven-fold growth and expand at a CAGR of 32.8% to
reach USD 668.5 million by 2020, global leadersin data storage and
management will present new cloud-based solutions at GITEX.
The Digital
Strategies Forum on 15
Octoberwill help organisations use mobility to
enhance customer interactions.
Global technology company Ericsson,
GITEX GulfComms MEA Headline
Sponsor, will demonstrate how
mobility will enhance daily lives in Smart Cities.
GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2014 will also
debut a range of innovative and exciting industry features catering
to more than 1500 delegates and 150 speakers including the Cloud
Confex, Big
Data Conference, and
Digital Strategies Forum.
At Industry
Briefings - a key
component of this year’s GITEX
Trends – speakers will
debate tech trends in cutting-edge, sector-specific knowledge
platforms; GITEX After 5;
the Bloggers Tweetup and
Tech Talk Blogger
Programme which will
double attendance from regional and international bloggers.
Expanded event features include the
official press reception ShowStoppers,
online community ConneXions,
live streaming of social media, trending topics and tech news via the
Content Hub,
the 2nd
GITEX Hot Stuff Awards
recognising top gadgets and GITEX
TV - the 53-screen
in-house broadcast presence.
Enhanced interactive elements
include the GSM Exchange
Zone, a platform for the
mobile product industry, the C-Level
Majlis Lounge for senior
executive networking, free Smart
Sessions for
knowledge-sharing, the ConneXions
Lounge and the SME
Zone.
In addition to the GITEX
Hot Stuff Awards, the
GITEX Student Lab will
recognise leading students in the field of technology innovation and
connect them with industry professionals, while the
2nd
GITEX
Cloud Awards
will identity and recognise cloud computing excellence in the Middle
East and Africa.
On
the fringes of GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK, the second edition of the GSMA
Mobile 360 Series: Middle East,
a dedicated platform for senior executives from the region’s mobile
industry, and the fourth edition of InfoComm
MEA, the leading showcase
of the latest professional audio-visual communications technology in
the Middle East and Africa.
On the opening day of 12 October,
GITEX Technology Week will host Google
for Work, the first time
the invite-only event, billed as ‘Unleash Your Creativity –
Google Style’, will be held in the Middle East. Senior management
and C-level executives can learn how to tackle complex problems and
opportunities, and foster a culture of innovation within their
organizations.
For more information on the 34th
GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK - running at DWTC from 12-16 October, 2014 -
visit: www.gitex.com.
