Dubai Internet City hosts 'BarCamp UAE' for technology and new media professionals

Hosted by the ICT cluster at DIC Building No.3, the one day event saw journalists, public relations executives and digital marketers coming together to share knowledge, exchange experiences through active discussions, and analyse exciting new developments in their respective fields.

An ad-hoc gathering born from the desire for people to share and learn in an open environment, BarCamps foster intense discussions and interaction among attendees. The gathering is free from scheduled speakers and instead has proposed topics that each participant wants to discuss. Chosen topics are then put together on a schedule and groups are formed to start an intense session of learning through interactive dialogue.

Malek Al Malek, Executive Director, Dubai Internet City, said:

"BarCamp have been held in a number of countries and proved enormously successful with participants gaining an opportunity to learn how effective social media tools can benefit their business. From increasing the client base to gaining significantly wider visibility, social networks are effective in opening avenues to a whole new way of tapping into the business community."

"At Dubai Internet City, part of our endeavor is to steer the ICT industry in a direction that will offer opportunities to create online business ventures in the region. The BarCamp UAE initiative was aimed at creating further value to an existing and well established ICT business hub in Dubai."

The BarCamp UAE brought to the table a series of discussions on ultra start-ups, a new term otherwise known as a group of technology entrepreneurs who collaborate online and in person, to help each other launch startups quicker and cheaper. Issues such as how the concept of 'cloud computing' could be best utilized within an organization, and ways in which digitalization and connected technologies could solve real life crisis through virtual space, were also examined.

Kedar Iyer, a participant at BarCamp UAE, said: "We use social media tools everyday to make new friends, form interest networks, share pictures and videos, and spread news and information rapidly within communities. By effectively utilizing the power of social networks, BarCamps can allow people to explore ways of using social media tools to impact a marked difference in everyone's lives."

As a pioneering destination that continues to propel the region's sustained growth drive for the ICT sector in the region, Dubai Internet City is committed to supporting the region's small and medium size businesses with a particular focus on promoting web entrepreneurship, currently a fast growing trend in the business community of the ICT industry.

Hosting most of the Fortune 500 companies, as well as more than 1,400 specialised industry leaders from diverse segments of the information and communication technology sectors, Dubai Internet City has emerged as a global ICT hub, while catering to the region's increasing focus on the knowledge-economy.