Gitex Technology Week 2008 defies world wide economic slowdown with a week of uplifting announcements and deals

Visitor numbers to-date suggests the exhibition continues to grow in spite of the much talked about world-wide economic slow down.

Just a few of the major deals done across the course of the week included Dubai EGovernment signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with eHosting to promote e-services for creating a paperless environment.

ETA InfoTech announced a Dhs55m deal to invest in healthcare and education.

Dell Middle East announced that Orion Holdings, a key player in the Financial Services Industry in UAE, has become the first Middle East customer to adopt the newly launched Dell/EMC CX4 data storage system.

"Gitex Technology Weekis the first choice for any company looking to develop and extend their reach in the Middle East," said Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser Gitex Technology Week.

"This year has seen some of the most exciting deals done in the Middle East and we are delighted with the feedback from industry leaders on their participation."

Dell, du, Dubai EGovernment, Etisalat, Intel, Microsoft, Oracle, Panasonic, RTA, Samsung and Sony were among many leading companies to use Gitex Technology Weekas the perfect event to make some of their biggest announcements of the year.

Microsoft Gulf announced the launch of the new Microsoft Dynamics AX (Axapta) 2009, furthering its commitment to developing a feature rich and comprehensive product eco-system under its Business Solutions portfolio.

Tamer Elhamy, Microsoft Business Solutions Manager said: "Microsoft has been very happy to participate for the first year with our Microsoft Dynamics product line through our partners. We showcased our vertical solutions through 45 industry specific sessions and were also pleased to see high levels of interest in our ERP and CRM offerings."

Samsung Gulf Electronics launched the new Omnia and Innov8 mobile phones at the exhibition. "We are very pleased with our successful participation in Gitex Technology Week2008. The exhibition is an excellent platform for us to launch our latest products from AV to IT and mobile phone product lines to the Middle East. We have had positive feedback from consumers, business partners and prospective clients alike," said Ranjan Mazumdar, Vice President, Samsung Gulf Electronics.

Another of the major exhibitors at this year's event was Oracle which was inundated for its free enterprise consultations during the week. "Oracle sees Gitex Technology Week2008 as the perfect platform to showcase customer success, proven by our announcements this week," said Dana Murugan, Senior Marketing Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

"At Gitex Technology Week 2008 our customers to the stand have been senior decision makers discussing our latest and innovative portfolio and we expect to have an increased impact in the Middle East through our business partners with our locally and globally designed solutions."

One of the leading companies in the Gulfcomms section of Gitex Technology Weekwas Avaya. Roger El-Tawil, Director for Channel and Marketing for Avaya MENA and Turkey said: "Gitex Technology Week, the largest ICT exhibition in the Middle East, has on the whole been a fruitful week for Avaya Intelligent Communications. We have met with many business opportunities, which will require further discussion after Gitex Technology Week."

Etisalat announced a special campaign for the 'More' rewards program that credits rewards points to Etisalat mobile customers. Commenting on Etisalat's participation, Essa Al Haddad, Chief Marketing Officer, Etisalat, said: "Gitex provides a perfect platform for Etisalat to demonstrate its strong international presence, the ingenuity behind Etisalat's customer-centric solutions and services, our robust and mutually rewarding partnerships and the holistic power of Etisalat brand."

During Gitex Technology Week, du partnered with Sony Pictures to show mobile content of the new James Bond movie. Osman Sultan, CEO, du, said: "Our focus this year at Gitex Technology Weekwas on content as well as segment marketing and we leveraged the opportunity well, to showcase our expertise. This was a great avenue for us to announce new initiatives and strengthen our existing relationships with both our partners and customers. As we come to a close on this year's event, we wish organisers of GITEX all the very best as it further grows in scope as well as stature in years to come."

Speaking on the experience of Ericsson Middle East, Gabriel B. Sjogren, Head of Business Development MENA said: "Gitex Technology Week 2008 has generated a number of business leads in terms of partnership agreements in the MENA region. However, further discussions will take place after Gitex with regards to our products such as the XL XPERIA Smartphone and our MD400 USB wireless modem, which has received incredible interest."

International participation has been wider than ever before, with the total number of countries participating reached an all-time high, with 83 nations taking part in Gitex Technology Week

Dr. Hazem Abdel-Azim, the Executive President of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), said: "Egypt is increasingly attracting international technology businesses that are looking to build on our competitive positioning to service the wider regional market. At the same time, many Egyptian companies are developing a reputation for the excellence of their technology offerings. As one of the world's premier business development platforms for IT, Gititex Technology Week is one of the most important platforms for us to take these messages out to the market."

Dubai World Trade Centre announced that next year's exhibition will take place 18-22 October 2009.