DUBAI, 4 October 2004 — The Middle East’s largest technology exhibition, GITEX, opened here yesterday with the international IT industry out in full force to showcase the latest market innovations to an expected 100,000 visitors. “GITEX’s 24th year will be the exhibition’s biggest ever,” said Helal Saeed Khalfan Al-Marri, director general of the Dubai World Trade Center (DWTC), which is organizing the event, the third largest of its kind in the world. The fair’s first two hours drew 3,000 visitors, up 35 percent on the same time last year, he said. Information and communication technology requirements of the Middle East and North Africa region amount to $7.9 billion, Marri said. This year’s Gulf Information Technology Exhibition (GITEX) has 21 pavilions and has attracted 930 exhibitors from 41 countries, 20 percent more than last year, with 2,428 companies participating. Gulf states are expected to spend $4.2 billion on IT in 2004, official figures show.