Business dubai finance

UAE Minister for Finance and Industry, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) Shaikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum on Sunday inaugurated Gitex 2003, the benchmark IT show in the Middle East, which opened its doors at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) complex.

Sheikh Hamdan made a two-hour familiarization tour of the various pavilions at the annual exhibition, which saw an increased participation of about 20 per cent over the previous editions with the number of exhibitors rising to 1,600 local, regional and international IT companies and business establishments, displaying their products of various kinds.

"The phenomenal growth in the size and scope of the show has been sparked by the increasing interest in Gitex and Dubai and an ideal place for key players in the IT world to network, exhibit their products, set new trends and connect with the end user in a market that is known for its high spending capacity," said DWTC director- general Mubarak bin Fahad, according to Khaleej Times.

There has been a considerable surge in interest among companies with many of the industry's key players well represented, including industry leaders like IBM, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, HP, Samsung, Toshiba, Canon, NEC, Acer, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Sony, Fujitsu, Sanyo, Etisalat, DAFZA, Thuraya and Epson among others securing a strong presence at the show.

Gitex 2003 will also have 19 national pavilions, an increase of 19 per cent over last year, while 774 exhibitors have signed on to push up last year's figure by 26 per cent.

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