With the tech industry evolving faster than ever, businesses everywhere are racing to keep up. This drives a growing need for digital transformation. GITEX, which stands for Gulf Information Technology Exhibition, is an annual event that serves as a go-to expo for innovation and collaboration – and unites tech pioneers, startups, and industry leaders in the pursuit of covering that need.
This year, Bamboo Group once again joined the tech forward-thinkers at the expo to showcase its extensive expertise in digital transformation. In this piece, we will take a deeper look inside the heart of the event, reflect on its focus topics, and share our own experience of being an exhibitor.
Highlights of GITEX Global 24 – AI on the rise
In 2024, GITEX marked its 44th edition, achieving record-breaking numbers and setting the stage for global cooperation. The expo welcomed 6,500 exhibitors and governments from over 180 countries, all gathered in the enormous space of over 40 halls of the Dubai World Trade Centre.
Taking place between October 14 and October 18, GITEX featured a jam-packed educational program heavy with visionary keynotes and workshops. The spotlight of this year was, undoubtedly, artificial intelligence. Woven into many industries and as hyped up as ever, AI has taken over the minds of entrepreneurs and global leaders alike. It had a separate themed day titled AI Super Tuesday, where attendees could get acquainted with the latest AI developments. Behemoths like NVIDIA, AWS, and G42 shared intriguing use cases for the technology and general vision of its future application.
The overall opinion on AI seems to be that the demand for it is huge – and it has excellent transformative potential in many sectors, most importantly, medicine, mobility, and energy.
Other GITEX tracks included cybersecurity, climate tech, and connectivity, paying particular attention to the evolution of smart cities.
Photo by Trade with Estonia
Exhibitors and country stands
Europe gets better representation
GITEX Global 24 was the year of the largest participation among European countries, with 38 European countries exhibiting at the event, some of them for the first time – Austria, Portugal, Latvia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Switzerland. To commemorate this, the European Innovation Council pavilion was officially launched.
This underscores Europe’s distinctive role in AI, technology, and innovation, along with the cross-continental collaborative initiatives now unfolding across the region.
Estonia proves its technological excellence
Estonia continued its tradition of having a national stand at GITEX, inviting the most prominent companies in the country to represent it. Erkki Keldo, Estonia’s Minister of Economy and Industry, was present at GITEX Global 24, highlighting the country’s dedication to promoting digital innovation globally and demonstrating the nation’s leadership in smart technology and digital governance.
Bamboo Group represented Estonia at the country’s national stand, where it was joined by such fellow Estonian companies as CybExer Technologies, Nortal, Unlimited Media, Lean, and OMNICOMM.
Photo by Trade with Estonia
Gulf region at the forefront of technology
The Gulf region countries were among the most prominent exhibitors of GITEX Global 24. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia had a joint pavilion, showcasing futuristic technologies that often seemed like they were taken from a sci-fi blockbuster.
For instance, the Abu Dhabi government displayed an advanced selection of next-generation products, such as GovGPT. Based on an AI-driven knowledge agent, GovGPT will provide city government workers with access to a variety of AI tools that will instantly direct them to important information and governmental policies.
Abu Dhabi Police displayed an autonomous bulletproof patrol vehicle, aligning with the event’s emphasis on security innovation. Their colleagues from Dubai Police also unveiled exciting incentives to foster public safety, namely the Digital Twin for Tourist Police system. It is a smart AI-based solution that automatically reacts to complaints and questions from tourists with fast and accurate responses.
Saudi-based companies also left a lasting impression. SAMI Advanced Electronics had one of the most remarkable pavilions at GITEX, where it presented its digital solutions and systems. The pavilion featured dedicated zones with detailed interactive information about the company’s numerous offerings, including data monetization and instant communication solutions, as well as a correspondence management system.
Bamboo Group at GITEX Global 24 – Building meaningful connections for promoting digital transformation
For Bamboo Group, this was the third consecutive year at GITEX. And just like in 2022, we were part of the Estonian National Stand, bringing in a team of four to meet with partners, new contacts, and old friends.
According to Natalia Minayeva, Strategic Partnership Executive at Bamboo Group, the team’s schedules were packed with meetings, as our services attracted healthy interest from exhibitors and attendees alike.
“Traditionally, GITEX is a place for us to meet our clients and partners from the MENA region,” says Natalia. “This year was no exception, there were many meetings and new opportunities. The event left vivid impressions. To understand the region better, it was worth visiting the Digital Cities Hall, where the stands of ministries, government agencies, and large companies were presented. Again, the visual component was at its best – huge screens with beautiful videos and animations, neat stylish pavilions with fresh flowers, and the latest technology in the service of government agencies.”
Vlad Yevteyev, Bamboo Group’s Chief Strategy Officer, also noted the incredible scale of the event, as well as its futuristic setup.
Here are some of our highlights of those hectic, yet thrilling, five days.
Welcoming various government officials to our booth and showcasing Estonia as a digital-first nation
On the second day of the event, we were honored by a visit from Maria Belovas, Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the United Arab Emirates. We talked about Estonia’s position as a global leader in technology. The country is often celebrated for its digital economy and effective collaboration between the government and private sector. Today, 99% of government services are accessible online for citizens and foreigners.
Offering our services in a tech-driven setting
Bamboo Group’s expertise in IoT – and our smart infrastructure solution Smart Locks Pro – were the main draws for the GITEX crowd. Aligning perfectly with the event’s key tracks, they demonstrated how easily IoT can enhance security, efficiency, and convenience across sectors.
We also invited one of our clients, Shape Technologies, to join us at GITEX and present its web solution, a customizable payments-platform-as-a-service (PPaaS) application. Our team was pleased to see Shape forging relationships with some of the most renowned technology visionaries in the Middle East.
Fostering old – and new – partnerships
GITEX Global 24 was a perfect platform for us to reconnect with long-standing partners and spark new collaborations with businesses from a variety of tech fields. For some of these, the expo was the first chance to see each other face to face, propelling discussions of potential synergies.
Al Ghubaiba Marine Transport Station, Dubai
Conclusion
For Bamboo Group, GITEX Global 24 was a one-of-a-kind experience that allowed us to extend our company’s market reach, meet industry leaders, and gain insights into technology trends to stay up-to-date with the innovative side of business.
We are deeply grateful to Trade with Estonia and Enterprise Estonia for inviting us to be a part of this busy and inspiring event, proudly representing the country alongside other top companies in the region.
Now it is time to reflect on our journey at the expo, cultivate the connections we have built there – and, hopefully, lay the groundwork for driving the next generation of smart solutions.
