GITEX 2004 opened Sunday at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The event, the largest technology exhibition in the Middle East, is the technology hub for professionals from the region and worldwide.
More than 100,000 people are expected to attend the exhibition halls to meet with companies leading the IT industry.
Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri, Director General, DWTC said: “GITEX attracts decision makers from diverse industry segments. Last year’s surveys indicated that 66% of the visitors to GITEX attended the event to source new products and 12% indicated that they wanted to identify new suppliers through the exhibition. It is not surprising that new companies choose to participate in GITEX given that networking and collaborations are the central goal of the event.”
Exhibiting companies from sectors such as Wireless, IP telephony, Data Storage, CRM, Business Software and Security and showcase how investments in the latest technology can yield savings and productivity.
The event statistics include 21 national pavilions, 41 countries and net area of 27,489 square meters.
The exhibition area is categorized into three zones; Software, Hardware and Communications/Networking, hosting industry majors like Acer, Samsung, Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, IBM, HP and many others , who are showcasing the latest innovations in these sectors.
GITEX also features 'The Pavilion,' located in a 3,300 square metre area adjacent to Halls 5, 6 and 7 to cater to the exceptional demand for space this year. This new area houses part of the British , German and Chinese country pavilions in addition to hardware companies and media providers.
Dubai Internet City’s Community Zone occupies a 1158 square meter area anchoring Concourse 2, between Halls 7 and 8.
Some of the many delegates represented at GITEX 2004 are the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, Walloon (South Belgium) Export Agency, the German Association for Information Technology, the Syrian Computer Society, Korea Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, Industrial Modernisation Centre (Egypt), PalTrade (Palestine), Pakistan Software Export, CMPE - Moroccan Centre for Export Promotion, South Africa - Trade and Investment, Information Technology Association Jordan int@j , and many more.
On Saturday, Gitex Computer Shopper 2004, showcasing the latest innovations in home entertainment, mobile technology, gaming, hardware and digital imaging, was officially inaugurated by Shaikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority, at the Dubai Airport Expo.
This year’s show is expected to attract some 80,000 visitors, while the transactions levels are projected to exceed the Dh42 million achieved last year. The exhibition will feature around 140 exhibitors representing more than 500 companies and show a strong support by the vendors to their resellers by way of stand participation, branding and promotion offers. (menareport.com)
© 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
