40th GITEX Technology Week set to host the world once again

The 40th GITEX Technology Week is set to unite international technology visionaries, industry innovators and global investors as the tech world finally resumes in-person interaction at Dubai World Trade Centre from 6th-10th December.

After a year of missed business opportunities, GITEX will unite all corners of the global technology industry as the only major technology event to go live in 2020, providing the world’s only opportunity for in-person networking at a major tech event this year.

GITEX Technology Week will showcase the diversity of the global technology industry, hosting over 1,200 exhibitors, including over 300 startups, from over 60 countries.

GITEX will host pavilions from some of the world’s most innovative technological nations, including Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, France, Israel, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as a conference lineup of over 350 in-person speakers, who are flying into Dubai from 30 countries.

Internationally recognised technology experts will travel to Dubai to share their vision of tomorrow, including maverick hacker, inventor and entrepreneur Pablos Holman and US Secret Service and FBI hacker Bryan Seely, while GITEX’s conference agenda will be headlined by arguably the most influential comedian alive, legendary actor, writer, and comedian John Cleese.

With visitor health and safety being DWTC’s number one priority, GITEX Technology Week will be hosted in full compliance with Dubai Government regulations, as well as the guidelines of the Dubai Health Authority and Dubai Municipality.

H.E. Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General, Smart Dubai Office, said, “We are approaching an unprecedented edition of GITEX Technology Week this year, as we commence amidst a global pandemic. Technology-driven experiences are what have enabled life to continue regardless of any COVID-19 constraints. We believe that the role and definition of technology has evolved, and at this GITEX we are keen to share Dubai’s story on how we leveraged technology to combat the pandemic and redesigned city experiences around it. At Smart Dubai, we have worked closely with our government and private sector partners to build a post-COVID-19 world-leading smart city, centered around the happiness of its citizens and residents.

“Guided by the forward-thinking vision and directives of our wise leadership, Dubai – and the UAE as a whole – has come a long way in embracing and utilising advanced technologies, establishing the emirate as a global hub for technology and an exemplary smart city of the future,” added Al Nasser.

GITEX unites global technology elite

GITEX will serve as an umbrella for the region’s leading technology shows, including GITEX Future Stars, the region’s largest tech startup event; GISEC, the region’s most renowned cybersecurity conference and exhibition; Future Blockchain Summit, the leading platform for the transformative technology, as well as the inaugural edition of Marketing Mania, the new platform for brand marketers.

The world’s technology giants will have a presence at GITEX, including Microsoft, Dell Technologies, du, Etisalat, Lenovo, Honeywell, IBM, Red Hat, Avaya and Huawei – revealing the most relevant and strategic technological innovations in artificial intelligence, 5G, future mobility, security and Blockchain among others.

GITEX will host over 200 of the world’s most influential technology investors, including EBAN (Belgium), MODUS Capital (USA), 500 Startups (Egypt) and MENA Tech Fund (United Kingdom), while for the first time, Israel will bring 40 exhibiting companies across big tech, startups, cybersecurity, telecoms and mobility.

GITEX will also showcase the technological progress of a range of UAE Government entities who are leading the country’s digital economy transformation, including Smart Dubai, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, the Abu Dhabi Government, Dubai Police and Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority. In addition, the event will feature the presence of Ajman Government, the Fujairah Government and Ministry of Interior KSA.

“In the near future, the market will reward innovative thinkers who have the spirit to challenge the status quo and re-invent the new way of working and living. This will require increasing fundraising from investors, VCs, and incubators to encourage entrepreneurs to step forward and showcase their talents. GELLIFY’s goal is to repeat the same success in the Middle East, as with our startup ecosystem in Europe, by enabling local startups to scale internationally, through direct investments and go-to-market acceleration. We are excited to be the official GITEX Future Stars Innovation Partner; GITEX Future Stars is definitely one of the most important events at the global level that GELLIFY simply could not miss,” said Massimo Cannizzo, CEO & Co-Founder of Gellify Middle East. 

“GITEX Future Stars is an internationally recognised event that plays a vital role in unifying the global startup community. After what has been a difficult year for the world’s startups, we are delighted to be in Dubai to showcase what Japanese innovation has to offer, and to finally experience in-person interaction – something that is needed for innovation to prosper,” said Masami Ando, Managing Director of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Dubai office.

Industry thought leaders gather to inspire innovation

An unrivaled conference agenda will be headlined by arguably the most influential comedian alive, legendary actor, writer, and comedian John Cleese, who will discuss strategies for entrepreneurial creativity.

GITEX will play host to a selection of bold, international disruptors and innovators, including Pablos Holman, the notorious hacker, inventor, entrepreneur, and technology futurist who has worked as part of an impact effort to eradicate malaria in conjunction with Bill Gates and helped to build spaceships with Jeff Bezos at Blue Origin; Bryan Seely, possiblythe only ethical hacker to have wiretapped the Secret Service and the FBI; Dr. Seth Dobrin, Chief Data Officer, IBM Cloud and Cognitive Software, VP and Chief Data Officer, IBM Analytics, whoestablished the acclaimed Data Science Elite team that has deployed over 130 successful AI projects worldwide; and Mansoor Hanif, Executive Director Engineering Technology & Digital, NEOM who is currently delivering the communications infrastructure of what will become the most advanced city in history.

With over 280 hours of content covering verticals such as digital marketing, smart cities and IoT, renowned entrepreneurs will share their experience with aspiring startups including Kat Borlongan, Director, La French Tech, the government-led taskforce built to bolster France’s startup sector, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO, Coursera, the world’s foremost eLearning platform and Francis Davidson, Founder & CEO, Sonder, the internationally recognised hospitality brand.

Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President, Events Management, Dubai World Trade Centre, said: “It is vital that the global technology industry now works together in order to build smart ways of working and living in the post-COVID world. GITEX Technology Week has already built a stellar reputation over the past four decades as the definitive global platform of the greatest minds in technology, international business leaders in the industry and rising stars from the tech ecosystem. The support we have received from the government, private sector and the global community has been a testament to GITEX’s engagement with the global technology community to reshape the world.”

Admission to GITEX Technology Week is by advanced online registration only. There will be no on-site registration, ticket sales or badge issuance. There is free visitor parking throughout GITEX. For more information and to register, please go to www.gitex.com and www.gitexfuturestars.com.