The total Information Technology (IT) spend in the Middle East this year is estimated to be $14 billion, up 12 per cent compared to last year, said experts, ahead of the Gitex Technology Week.

Gitex, which runs from October 9 to 13 in Dubai, will this year have special features to meet industry demands and drive business in the ever-evolving Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) sector, they said.

As one of the three largest ICT exhibitions in the world, the show connects more than 136,000 industry professionals from five continents with over 3,500 suppliers and is one of the most influential and high-profile events in the global ICT sector today.

In a month which has seen predictions of double digit technology growth and unprecedented ICT investment across the Middle East, Gitex is introducing brand new elements such as ‘Digital Media & Marketing’ feature to reinforce its position as the region’s leading ‘finger on the pulse’ technology event.

The new ‘Gitex Digital Media & Marketing’ feature will help Middle East businesses achieve their potential through more effective and efficient online campaigning.

Recent studies by marketing strategists Econsultancy show that companies in the Mena are on average spending 22 per cent of their marketing budget on digital platforms and more than half (58 per cent) are increasing their digital budgets in 2011.

Gitex Digital Media & Marketing presents a host of digital opportunities to an emerging market where the expansion of fibre optics, high-speed internet and broadband penetration has opened a brand new digital marketing world more accessible to Middle East marketeers than ever before.

Helal Saeed Almarri, CEO of Dubai World Trade Centre, event organisers, said the ever-increasing technology investment in the Middle East and its ongoing potential as one of the most rapidly growing ICT markets in the world makes the region an ideal opportunity for expansion.

'Gitex is not only the perfect platform for technology development and growth, it is at the heart of the industry in this region.'

'For more than 30 years, it has been a business driver and an innovator and now it is seen as the industry authority that can both meet the current demands of technology companies, but equally importantly, identify the sectors with the most significant potential in the future,' he added.

Gitex will again be expanding its profile to incorporate ‘Card Technology’, focussing on the evolution of smart cards including financial services, mobile phone sim cards, road toll systems, national ID cards, biometrics, hospital records and much more.

According Frost & Sullivan, the Mena region smart cards market is expected to reach $328.5 million by 2014, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.8 per cent.

Jim Runcie, regional vice president of Datacard Group for EMEA said: “As the world leader in secure ID and card personalization solutions, the Datacard Group has 40 years experience in card technology and we see that the industry opportunities in the Middle East are vast.'

'It is one of the fastest growing markets in the world and the timing is perfect for Gitex to introduce a feature focusing on such rapidly developing technology.'

'Smart cards are not only a convenient part of today’s lifestyle they are increasingly becoming an essential aspect of our day to day living, from protected proof of identity to secure financial transactions. The Gitex platform is an excellent way to promote the technology potential and drive the industry,' he added.

Gitex said it will increase its focus on the Gulfcomms this year. As the largest business-to-business exhibition for carriers, cable, fixed, IP and satellite across the MEA and South Asia, Gulfcomms 2011 opens endless opportunities to solution providers in the fields of telecommunication networks, next generation networks, IP technology, satellite communications, infrastructure solutions, backhauling and teleconferencing.

According to the Telecommunications Industry Authority’s 2011 Market Review & Forecast: 'The MEA will be the fastest-growing international region, fueled by expanding wireless and broadband infrastructures.'

In the public sector, ‘Government@Gitex’ will be further enhanced in 2011 to offer the best platform regionally for suppliers and government agencies to meet and review technologies, share best practices and discuss solutions.

Cloud technology and virtualisation will be the central focus of the ‘Cloud Computing Confex’, which returns alongside a strong presence from the Gitex ‘Mobile, Apps & Content World’.

Consumer Technology and Business Solutions will draw many of the world’s leading brands and companies to showcase and launch their latest products and services.

Gitex, which has been themed ‘Redefine the Future,’ this year will also have the ‘Gitex Global Conferences’ that will feature some of the most influential and illustrious decision-makers to share their knowledge, experience and insights into today’s most pressing ICT opportunities and challenges.-TradeArabia News Service