Third edition of Gitex to be held next month

Tuesday, 23 December 2003, 20:30 IST
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HYDERABAD: This southern city will next month host the third edition of Gitex, the flagship event of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) that showcases the latest IT products and services. Being organised for the third consecutive year, the event will provide a major platform for IT and communication (IT&C) companies. Over 100 exhibitors are expected to join the exhibition to be held January 12-14 at the Hitex international exhibition centre near Hi-tec City that houses many IT giants. Some 7,800 business visitors are expected at the event. "The exhibition that is now in its third edition has attracted keen interest from multinationals based in India as well as international exhibitors from the Middle East, the US and the Far East," DWTC general manager (exhibitions) Abdulla T. Qassem said in a statement. This year's edition will have an added attraction -- the second Asia IT Ministers summit and IT Industry Forum will be held concurrently with the show. IT ministers, government and business delegations from over 24 countries will participate in these meetings. During Gitex, the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), India's apex body representing the software and service industry, and the Andhra Pradesh government will jointly hold a seminar on e-governance, business process outsourcing, IT services and emerging opportunities. The first edition of Gitex in 2002 had attracted 45 exhibitors and 2,569 business visitors. The 2003 edition registered a growth of 56 percent in the number of exhibitors and an increase in floor space of 57 percent. Gitex is the premier IT exhibition in the Middle East. The DWTC holds its flagship event in Dubai, Riyadh, Cairo and Beirut. In 2002, it expanded its sphere of operations to Hyderabad. Several leading players, including Vanenberg Asia, HSBC, Iomega, L&T Infocity, BSNL, Dubai Internet City, SAIF Zone Sharjah, IT&C department of Andhra Pradesh and DIT Karnataka have already confirmed participation. "There has been growing interest from the global IT&C sector in Andhra Pradesh due to successful international expos such as Gitex. Participation in the expo has been growing steadily and we are happy to be partnering with DWTC to bring this expo to the cyber city of Hyderabad", said Randeep Sudan, special secretary to the Andhra Pradesh chief minister.
Source: IANS
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