Dubai Internet City holds meeting with French ICT companies during Gitex Technology Week

Led by Chantal Garnier, French Trade Commissioner in Dubai, the delegation included Jean-François Goumy, Deputy Trade Commissioner, Mohamed Hashem and Michèle Gemayel, Trade Attaché at the French Embassy Trade Commission in Saudi Arabia.

The delegation is visiting Dubai as part of its participation in the Gitex Technology Week 2009, the region's largest industry event taking place from 18-22 October at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

Faisal Hammoud, Commercial Operations Manager at Dubai Internet City, received the delegation and briefed the French officials on DIC's instrumental role in pioneering the ICT sector's growth as part of Dubai's drive towards creating a knowledge-based economy.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Commercial Operations Director at DIC, said: "The ICT sector is one of the key components of the UAE-French bilateral trade that has grown significantly over the past several years. The GCC region currently makes up a third of French exports while the UAE is the largest market in the Middle East for France."

"We look forward to continuing our discussions with the French Trade Commission to learn about their business requirements specifically in the ICT sector and build upon our existing relationship through enhanced collaboration."

Dubai Internet City's role in assisting French ICT companies set up regional operations, offering networking opportunities, as well as speeding up access to a market of covering nearly three billion people with a GDP of over $10 trillion were some of the other issues discussed during the meeting with the visiting delegation.

Chantal Garnier said:

"As the region's largest ICT hub, Dubai Internet City offers the right enabling environment for French companies to showcase their innovative products and services to a range of markets in the wider Middle East. We are confident that through their presence at the cluster, French companies will enormously benefit from the vast business potential which exists around the region."

Showcased at the French pavilion Hall 4, (Booths A4-30, A4-40 and B4-30) at the Gitex Technology Week 2009, the French delegation comprises ICT companies including City Passenger, a solutions provider in SSL VPN for business applications, and LinkCom, a manufacturer of professional telecommunication equipment for major European telecom brands.

Dubai Internet City hosts a number of French companies at the ICT cluster including INFOSEC Communications, a leading European manufacturer of monitoring and energy protection systems, which is also participating at GITEX this year.

A strategic sponsor of the Gitex Technology Week for the ninth consecutive year, Dubai Internet City is hosting a total of five IT majors and companies from related sectors at its pavilion located on Concourse 2, between Exhibition Hall 8 and the Sheikh Maktoum Hall in the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.