More than 400 exhibitors from 16 countries have showcased the latest products at the event.

Economy and Planning Minister Khaled Al-Gosaibi opened the show at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibitions Center on Monday.

GITEX Saudi Arabia 2011, organized by Riyadh Exhibition Company (REC), occupied around 15,000 square meters of space and exhibitors expressed satisfaction over the number of visitors and the level of enquiries they received from the potential clientele in Saudi Arabia.

Ahmed Reda, media and communications manager, Information Technology Industry Development Agency, Egypt, described GITEX Saudi Arabia as one of the regional premier’s ICT event that offers huge potential for business. “GITEX Saudi Arabia is one of the main ICT events in the region as it showcases the large potential of the local market. Egyptian companies have been achieving great results from exhibiting at this premier show,” he said.

He said the number of Egyptian companies participated in this year’s event rose to 45 from 20 in the 2010.

Eric Chen, general manager, Luckwell Company and Head of Taiwanese delegation that set up its pavilion, said the magnitude of the GITEX Saudi Arabia reflects the Kingdom growth potential and the investment opportunities available for foreign investors in Saudi Arabia.

He said GITEX Saudi Arabia 2011 is the most important trade exhibition dedicated to the information and communication technology in Saudi Arabia.

It reflects Kingdom’s continuous investment in ICT sector and the huge development potential, he said.

“We think GITEX Saudi Arabia was a good platform for Taiwan’s innovative ICT products to debut. We were keen to explore business opportunities in the fields of solar energy systems, given the Kingdom’s abundant sunlight, WiMAX systems, wireless networking systems, and other facilities,” he said.

Saudi Arabia’s keenness for the development of the ICT sector was witnessed by the strong participation and support of major government agencies led by the National Information Center, Ministry of Interior, Riyadh Municipality, Public Pension Fund and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) among others. A number countries such as Egypt, Taiwan, Pakistan, China, the UAE and Jordan have set up their national pavilions in the event.

GITEX Saudi Arabia was held concurrently with Saudi Communications 2011, the 13th International Telecommunications Exhibition, certified by UFI, the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry, and Computer Shopper 2011, the 10th Computer Shopper Exhibition, and displayed ICT products, services and systems, telecommunications equipment; networking and IT solutions and software; office automation; the latest personal computers and laptops, mobile phones, multimedia devices and digital products.