COMEX 2013 to focus on E-transformation through ICT

Organized by OITE Trade Fairs and Information Technology Authority (ITA), the event is scheduled to take place from 25 to 29 March 2013 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre. The press conference was graced by the presence of senior representatives from ITA and OITE including Mr. Ahmed Baabood, Executive Chairman of OITE, Mr. Khalid Al Kharusi, Acting Director General of Information & Awareness at ITA, Mr. Sadiq Ahmed Khan, Director - B2B Events & Marketing, OITE and Mr. Habib A.Al Aidroos, Director-B2C Events & Event Management.

COMEX 2013 taking place under the theme E-transformation will be inaugurated by H.E. Sheikh Khalid bin Omar bin Said al Marhoon, the Minister of Civil Service. The event will highlight the latest ICT products, services and solutions that aim to digitally transform the professional and personal lifestyle of individuals and business organizations under COMEX Business and COMEX Shopper while eGovernment seeks to highlight various initiatives, projects and activities undertaken by the Government to simplify and improve the lifestyles of citizens. The timings for COMEX Business are 10:00 am to 9:00 pm from 25 to 28 March 2013 and 4:30 to 9:00 pm on 29 March 2013. The timings for COMEX Shoppers are 10:00 am to 10:00 pm from 25 to 28 March 2013 and 4:30 to 10:00 pm on 29 March 2013.

"The use of ICT as a tool for economic development is gaining traction in all fields of business and industrial practices and ICT adoption by SMEs is gaining more attention of late. In keeping with the vision of His Majesty in creating an information society where the citizens of the country transform their lives through the use of ICT, COMEX 2013 will see regional, local, national and international players related to the ICT industry showcase the latest ICT solutions that will improve the communication process between individuals and businesses on a global level and bridge the digital divide," says Mr. Ahmed Saleh Baabood, Executive Chairman - OITE.

During the press conference, Mr. Khalid Al Kharusi, Acting DG of Information & Awareness at ITA, proposed: "Every year, people await COMEX exhibition and activities since it is an immense opportunity for government institutions to offer their eServices and this year 30 government institutions will be present in the exhibition. Some regional and international countries will participate in this year's exhibition and these are: Singapore, Lithuania, Estonia, and Kuwait. This year, we emphasized the presence of some initiatives that promotes eTransformation such as Sultan Qaboos Excellence in eGovernment along with the projects winning in the Awards' three editions, Oman National CERT, Sas Programme for IT business development; along with some Omani creative and innovative projects."

The COMEX Business pavilion helps businesses achieve competency in operations and quality of services through usage of the latest tech savvy products and solutions like 4G technologies, cloud computing solutions, social networking tools, telecommunication applications etc. The eGovernment pavilion gives companies and individuals a chance to communicate directly with e.oman representatives and learn about the latest ICT related ventures, projects and initiatives taken up by the government and also allows the government to gain valuable feedback from the public. The COMEX Shopper pavilion allows consumers to get their hands on the latest gadgets that will aid in the digital transformation of their homes and personal lifestyles, taking the process of communication to the next level.

COMEX 2013 is supported by Omantel with Emax as Main Sponsor ; MG Group as Strategic Sponsor ; the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, HUAWEI, Oman Data Park and Microsoft as Lead Sponsor ; EMC2 as IT Transformation Sponsor ; Nawras as Telecommunication Partner ; Cisco as Platinum Sponsor ; Teletimes International as Media Partner ; Al Khalili Group as Official Networking Partner ; Merge 104.8 FM and Al Wisal 96.5 FM as Radio Partners ; Dossier as Official B2B Publication and Times of Oman and Al Shabiba as Official English and Arabic Newspapers. Other partners include Oman Phone ; AHK as German Business Partner ; Knowledge Oman as Community Knowledge Partner and GAC as Official Clearing and Forwarding Agent.

The 4th COMEX Conference 2013 will take place on 24 March, 2013 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Muscat under the theme Empowering SMEs through ICT. The conference will focus on ICT strategies that may be taken to make SMEs super-efficient and competent in their business operations and management. Held under the patronage of e.oman and organized by OITE Conferences, the event will see eminent speakers share their opinions, views and experiences in SMEs industry under separate sessions. The Conference will receive support from Omantel as Main Sponsor; SAP AG and Cisco as Platinum Sponsor and AHCC Inc as Silver Sponsor.