2009-11-24 11:27:22
WAM Abu Dahbi, Nov 24th, 2009 (WAM) --The global recession and cuts in IT spending budgets have failed to dent the spirit of UAE-based enterprises to participate in an international ICT event in Hanover, Germany.

The exhibition is expecting 20 companies from the UAE to participate in CeBIT (Centre of Office and Information technology), one of the largest global IT exhibitions, in 2010. Almost 80 per cent of exhibitors from the UAE are first-time participants.

"Over the past six to seven years there were new companies participating and this has increased every year. In fact at the roadshow currently being conducted 90 per cent of feedback are from new companies. Earlier there was no awareness on CeBIT but now the companies based here understand the advantage to go as it is the gateway to Europe and US market," Martina Lubon, Vice-President, CeBIT, told Emirates Business.

Neeraj Dalal, Project Manager at Deutsche Messe, organisers of CeBIT and based in Dubai, said: "The companies are mainly from Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah. Dubai Silicon Oasis participated last year to market themselves and a lot of the free zones like Dubai Internet City did the same. The bigger IT companies have their branches representing software and assembling companies such as Touchmate are participating at the event. At least 20 firms are expected to take part this year." On launching a Middle East version of CeBIT, Lubon said: "There is currently one running in Istanbul and that is serving the purpose. We are exploring ideas in the region and in India but we don't want to break it down. There is CeBIT in Hanover, Shanghai, Australia and Turkey, which is enough at present. For the immediate future, we are looking at South America in Brazil in either 2010 or 2011." CeBIT has also faced competition from worldwide conferences and exhibitions like Mobile World Congress held in Barcelona and also the locally held IT exhibition Gitex. "These are specialised exhibitions unlike CeBIT where everything is under one platform. There are atleast 40 fairs globally which have stopped in the past four years," said Lubon.

In 2010, the exhibitors are expected to increase by 10 per cent as registrations did not happen in the beginning of 2009 and are still going on according to the organizers.

WAM/ESRAA/AMIR