OREANDA-NEWS. November 08, 2010. IBA Group participated in the Gulf IT and Electronics Exhibition (GITEX) TECHNOLOGY WEEK held in Dubai, UAE. This year, GITEX marked its 30th anniversary, reported the press-centre of IBA Group.     

Being one of the most high-profile events in the global ICT sector, the GITEX Technology Week in 2010 hosted more than 3,500 companies from 65 countries, including 675 new organizations. In aggregate, more than 133,000 visitors from 135 countries attended the show. According to the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC), the event’s organizers, the 30th edition of GITEX was 93 times larger in space than the first show in 1981.

The program of the 30th GITEX included new elements, namely a dedicated Telecommunications Forum, Cloud Confex, GITEX Mobile Apps World, and many more.
His highness Sheikh Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, accompanied by VIP dignitaries from government organizations and Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of DWTC, officially opened the tradeshow on October 16. Almarri said: “The Middle East is proving to be one of the most exciting and fastest growing ICT markets in the world… Our role is to maintain the momentum and facilitate the growth of the market”.

According to the GITEX Market insights, emerging markets are expected to account for 26% of the world's IT spending by 2012, with the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region spearheading the charge. IDC, a global provider of market intelligence for the information technology, telecommunications and consumer technology markets, estimates that IT spending in the Middle East and Africa will grow faster than almost in any other region of the world as investment continues at a record pace of 12 percent, four times that of the global average.

In the GCC region (Gulf Cooperation Council comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is set to lead the market in ICT spending over the next three years, reaching US\\$ 32 billion, according to the latest ‘GCC ICT Infrastructure Report’ by Kuwait Financial Centre (Markaz).

The second biggest ICT spending nation in the GCC is the UAE which has seen annual growth of 18 percent over the past five years, reaching nearly USD 12 billion. Spending is expected to grow at around 10 percent over the next three years, totalling USD 16.5 billion by 2012.

Dr. Valentin Kazan, Vice President of IBA Group and the head of the IBA's delegation at the summit, commented: “IBA Group is an international business with offices in eight countries. The company keeps exploring new markets, including the Middle East, which provides good opportunities for cooperation in the IT area. IBA Group is looking to build long–term partner relations with companies in the Middle East and Gulf Region, generating new business and expanding its presence in the Asian market.”