The upcoming Gitex Technology Week 2011 in Dubai will feature the strongest ever lineup with brand new sectors and leading technology gurus while connecting more than 130,000 professionals with 3,500 suppliers, said the organisers of the event.

The event is running from October 9 to 13 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC).

“Gitex Technology Week, after more than three decades in operation, continues to attract the industry’s leading ICT exhibitors and attendees from around the world,” said Helal Saeed Almarri, chief executive officer, Dubai World Trade Centre, organiser of the event.

“Gitex is cementing even further its position as a leading influence on the global ICT industry by introducing brand new sectors, not only reflecting the current trends, but by providing opportunities for the future. The industry’s top cyber security, digital marketing, card technology and telecoms organisations and experts will showcase their latest products and offer essential new industry perspectives,” he added.

This year’s Gitex Global Leaders Summit, themed ‘Innovation in Leadership’, has some of the most sought-after speakers within the ICT industry, including Pranav Mistry, the rising star of new technology and radical inventor of Sixth Sense, who will demonstrate his unique human interface concepts and introducing prototypes for the first time in the Middle East.

Also addressing the Gitex Global Leaders Summit include Chris Dedicoat, president EMEA of Cisco, William H Saito, an advisor to governments worldwide, Rod Beckstrom, president and CEO of ICANN, Georgio Di Paolo, IT Strategy Head, Accenture and Tariq Hassan, VP Marketing, Hewlett Packard.

One of the sectors new to Gitex 2011 is Cyber Security @ Gitex. A recent Norton Cybercrime report revealed that the global cost of cybercrime is $388 billion, with 76 per cent of UAE residents having been the victim of data theft over the past twelve months.

To further raise awareness and highlight the sophistication and speed of ICT security risks, the first ever Middle East and India regional finals of the Global CyberLympics Championships will be held alongside the CyberSecurity @ Gitex feature.

Some of the world’s most skillful hackers will take part in a series of ethical hacking games of both offensive and defensive security challenges, relayed live on screens around the virtual battlefield.

Gitex Digital Marketing is an opportunity to assess, evaluate and analyse the full potential of what is becoming an essential business tool.

In a recent survey by digital marketing experts Econsultancy, entitled ‘The State of Digital in Mena’, 58 per cent of businesses in the region are increasing their digital budgets this year, and 53% doing the same for mobile marketing.

The inaugural Gitex Card Technology feature will reflect and drive one of the most rapidly developing ICT sectors. From widespread use in the financial services sector to mobile phone sim cards, road toll systems, national ID cards and hospital records, the use of smart card technology, be it in contact or contactless format, continues to accelerate at an exponential rate.

In the Gitex Telecoms sector, as the Middle East prepares to roll out the next generation of Long Term Evolution (LTE) and 4G technology, the implications for the industry and consumers are vast. In response to this revolution in digital communication, Gitex is introducing its first ever Telecoms Symposium.

Keynote Speaker Jim Balsillie, CEO, Research in Motion is one of the most influential figures in his field, and an inspiration to both business owners and the leading players in the telecoms industry.

Osman Sultan, CEO of du will focus on LTE deployment and the cost of migrating to 4G for the providers – a crucial aspect of the timing and effectiveness of next generation communications.

Steve Dietch, vice president of Marketing for HP, the Confex Diamond Sponsor, will be a major draw to the Confex as one of the most passionate and articulate cloud activists.

Chick Hollis, VP of Global Marketing and CTO of EMC, joint platinum sponsor is another of the sector’s most respected advocates.

Ronald Raffensberger, director of Core Cloud at Huawei, also joint platinum sponsor, has more than 30 years’ experience in product management and marketing in telecommunications and will offer his insights into the current applications and future development of cloud computing.

Building on the foundations of the first edition of the Gitex Mobile, Apps and Content World in 2010, this sector promises to be one of the industry drivers in a Mena market. Internet access is shifting more towards a 'mobile only' environment, and with over 195 million mobile subscribers and an average penetration rate across the Middle East of over 85 per cent, more and more operators are using apps to increase revenues.

InfoComm Middle East and Africa (MEA) 2011 will make its regional debut alongside Gitex Technology Week, in a joint collaboration between Dubai World Trade Centre in an effort by the international association of pro AudioVisual and information communication industries to help AV professionals and end-users in the region to keep abreast of latest developments and expand their skills and knowledge.

Once again, more and more international companies will experience the global influence of Gitex as the event welcomes exhibitors from new countries including Kazakhstan, Latvia, Malta and Morocco and nine new national pavillions including Bangladesh, Italy, Lebanon, Pakistan, Palestine, Scotland and Spain.

A number of top ICT companies have chosen Gitex for the regional launch of their new products and solutions, including Microsoft’s Office 365 and System Centre 2012 and Azure, Nokia’s N9 smartphone, Panasonic’s Solar Powered IP CCTV and Home Energy Management System (HEMS), RIM’s Bold 9900, Symantec’s Endpoint Protection 12 (cloud security) and the new Tablet PC from Touchmate, among others.

Oracle will be making its 21st appearance this year, with live demonstrations of its latest products and a strong line-up of software development partners. – TradeArabia News Service