GITEX
How GITEX grew into
a major catalyst for
development in Dubai
EW reports on an exhibition, now
in its 39th edition, that has grown
rapidly to become a magnet in
the Middle East for technology
leaders. A White Paper released
in Dubai underlines the real value
of exhibitions and their power to
drive economic development and
innovation on a major scale.
iddle East and North
Africa IT spending
is forecast to reach
US$160bn in 2019, an
indicator of huge potential being
realised in the region.
For five days this October Dubai
became the tech capital of the world
as it staged GITEX Technology Week
2019 - a global showcase and gathering
of technology talent and leaders. It is a
show that has grown as exponentially
as the technology market it serves.
Technology is a sector now
generating sales of AED1.6bn
(US$440m) and AED919m in retained
w w w.exhibitionworld.co.uk
value for Dubai’s GDP, according to
figures from a new Economic Impact
Assessment report issued by Dubai
World Trade Centre (DWTC).
The tradeshow is also making waves
beyond the region, with a third of the
171,282 attendees at GITEX Technology
Week this year coming from abroad.
Locals are doing well from the
event, too, which has become a
powerful motor of employment,
supporting 6,239 jobs.
The economic report also illustrated
how global exhibitors and visitors
collectively yield a ripple effect beyond
the technology and MICE sector,
not least supporting the emirate’s
economic diversification agenda. The
report delivered up other valuable
figures, tracking:
• Direct spends in ancillary sectors
such as accommodation, F&B, retail,
entertainment, travel and transport
and other business services
• Indirect spends related to necessary
production increases to meet
“GITEX
Technology
Week
drew over
171,000
attendees in
Dubai this
October
and Dubai
is staking
a claim
for being
the tech
capital of
the world –
at least for
five days”
increased demand
• Induced value that results from
higher employment and consequent
disposable income growth.
The report reveals that international
tradeshow attendees spend nearly
six times more than their local
counterparts in Dubai.
The average length of stay for
international attendees is 5.7 days,
while their average daily spend
is AED1,741 (AED 9,924 for their
entire stay). Local participants, by
comparison, spend on average 3.6
days at GITEX, spending AED1,739 for
the entire event.
The spend is understandable when
you consider the scale of the show
and how it has grown to involve 4,800
exhibitors from 140 countries. Content
is also booming, with 290 hours of
sessions over the five days.
Gulf growth
Today’s thriving tradeshow is not just
a happenstance event in the shifting
sands; there are deep roots. GITEX –
then the Gulf Computer Exhibition
– was launched in 1981 and has
grown today into a regional engine
for technology proliferation across
the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
(MEASA) regions.
In 1988 the exhibition was renamed
the Gulf Information Technology
Exhibition (GITEX), and then set
new records with 7,500 visitors
and 80 exhibitors representing 180
companies.
By 2011, GITEX had launched Cyber
Security @ GITEX, the precursor to the
Gulf Information Security Expo and
Conference (GISEC).
And the big names continue to
stack up. Heavyweight visionaries
making their debuts at this year’s
show included China Mobile,
Ericsson, Honeywell, Nokia, Schneider
Electric and Siemens, all unpacking
developments around the world’s
most transformative and emerging
technologies, including 5G, Blockchain
and AI. In fact, AI is expected to
contribute almost 14% of the UAE’s
GDP by 2030, equivalent to $96bn.
Issue 6 2019
23