GITEX’S International Appeal Escalates With A 49% Jump In Country Representation

The silver jubilee edition of GITEX, the premier international ICT event, will open its doors to trade visitors on the 25th of September recording double digit growth across the entire spectrum, from increased exhibitors to larger country representation, organisers Dubai World Trade Centre announced yesterday (21st September).

“Over a 25-year time frame, GITEX has truly matured and grown from a modest one-hall event of 820 square metres to the mega-B2B platform it is today, extending across 13 halls and covering 30,227 square meters,” said DWTC Director General, Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri.

He noted that the show registered a double-digit growth in the number of participating exhibitors (up 24%) to 1,163 this year. “The number of exhibiting companies too has gone up by 12% to 2,724, while country representation has shot up by 49% to 61 countries,” Mr. Al Marri remarked. The number of national pavilions in 2005 has gone up (14%) from 21 to 24, while the net area for the event has increased by 10% to touch 30,227 square meters.

Widely acclaimed as one of the top IT exhibitions worldwide, GITEX will be held at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre (DICEC) from September 25th to 29th 2005.

With as many as 2,724 companies participating this year, the event will occupy all the halls, the two concourses, the additionally created Hall 1A adjacent to Hall 1 and Hall 4A. The new halls will form part of the Hardware zone.

From 3,038 visitors in 1981, GITEX has grown substantially to attract impressive 116,346 visitors in 2004, a significant compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 16%. This year visitor numbers are expected to cross 120,000.

In terms of exhibitor numbers, the growth over the last few years has been considerable. For example, from just 46 exhibitors in 1981, GITEX hosted 939 exhibitors in 2004 with the CAGR working out to 13%. During the 1995-2004 period the CAGR stood at 13%.

Like last year, the event is conveniently demarcated into three separate zones - Hardware, Software and Communications Networking. These dedicated zones will help trade visitors in easily accessing and locating the company stands and pavilions.

In order to further facilitate visitor movement, DWTC has introduced a GITEX Route Map and a Mobile Exhibition Guide. The Mobile Exhibition Guide will assist visitors to easily locate exhibitors and stand whereabouts as well as browse for information on the move. The Route Map will be distributed on-site to all visitors.

DWTC will also operate a fully functional media centre with all necessary communication aids and office automation at the complex for bona fide journalists covering the event. More than 500 overseas regional and international media persons have already signed up to cover the event.

The IT industry itself is in an advanced stage of growth in the Middle East, especially the GCC region. IT spending by banks and government sector are expected to get a further boost in the years to come. An IDC report released recently states that small and medium-sized businesses are crucial end-user groups in the growing GCC PC market in 2004. According to the report, SMBs accounted for just under 43% of all shipments and still remain under-penetrated. The SOHO segment was also important, representing nearly 24% of total PC sales in the region.

The online visitor pre-registration system has received an overwhelming response with 22,598 already completing the registration process and this compares favourably with last year’s 19,278. More visitors are taking this convenient route to registration in order to avoid delays at the registration desks. Of those pre-registered to date, a considerable number are from outside the UAE, including locations in Europe, North America, Africa, South Asia and the Far East.

In order to ease traffic congestion during GITEX, DWTC has entered into a three-way alliance with Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Avis UAE and the emirate’s hoteliers. A shuttle service will run at 40-minute intervals from leading five-star hotels and from vantage points across the city including the Dubai Internet City and Bur Juman. While these services at 40-minute intervals will be towards the DICEC during morning hours, they will run from the DICEC to the hotels in the evening. This will complement the services by Dubai Transport Corporation’s fleet of taxis and Valtrans’s valet parking service.

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