InfoComm International has announced that it is launching a tradeshow for the Middle East, Africa and Gulf region. InfoComm Middle East & Africa (IFMEA) will take place on 9-13 October, 2011 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
A joint venture between InfoCommAsia and Dubai World Trade Centre, the event will be co-located and jointly promoted with GITEX Technology Week, the largest ICT event for the region. Last year’s show saw more than 130,000 attendees from 135 countries visiting more than 3,500 exhibitors, occupying some 76,000sqm of floor space.
Now in its 31st year, GITEX Technology Week attracts influencers and decision makers across a wide range of industry verticals, from IT, banking and finance through to education, hospitality, oil and gas, aviation, retail, government, healthcare and more.
The new event already has some high-profile exhibitors, as Richard Tan, general manager, InfoCommAsia, explained: “Some of the largest companies in our sector, including Mitsubishi, Extron, AMX, Crestron, Wolfvision and Jupiter Systems, have already confirmed their booth space at IFMEA 2011, and we expect many more to sign up now that the show has been officially launched.”
Tan added that co-locating IFMEA with an IT tradeshow is an ideal arrangement: “The launch of our event comes at a turning point in the evolution of professional AV. The migration of AV products onto IT networks is making systems integration a more net-centric process than ever before. Co-locating with GITEX Technology Week therefore makes technology sense as well as business sense – the two go perfectly hand in hand.”
As well as a dedicated showcase for AV products and solutions on the tradeshow floor, IFMEA will feature CTS-accredited education seminars from the InfoComm Academy, along with a variety of opportunities for manufacturers to present their solutions in conferences and training sessions.
“IFMEA is born out of a marriage of strengths,” commented Terry Friesenborg, senior VP of international development, InfoComm International. “Dubai World Trade Centre is the most established and influential organiser of tradeshows for the Middle East and Gulf region, while as an industry body, InfoComm has been providing education and certification for the pro-AV industry since 1939, as well as organising its own highly successful series of tradeshows and other events throughout the world.”
Speaking to IE, Friesenborg added: “The Middle East and Africa were identified by InfoComm’s Global Market Definition & Strategy Study (MDSS) as key growth markets for our industry in the years to come, and we are very excited at the prospect of delivering the InfoComm experience to such a large and qualified B2B audience from these regions. Add education sessions from the InfoComm Academy into the mix, and you have a truly industry-defining event at the Dubai World Trade Centre in October.”
Trixee Loh, senior VP, Dubai World Trade Centre, commented: “Dubai has the infrastructure, the experience and the economic and geographical positioning to bring together all industry sectors covering the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. GITEX is the ultimate business driver and innovator for this enormous and rapidly expanding market and will be the perfect stalwart for such a venerable brand as InfoComm.”
Tan concluded: “Our industry has been crying out for an opportunity such as this for some while, and we are looking forward to a successful, empowering and inspiring launch event in October.”
