On the last day of GITEX, there were fewer announcements than on the previous day.

Four days of extensive discussions and networking exhausted the exhibitors, but they were happy with the event’s results. Last-minute visitors were rushing in and panel sessions ended early.

Overall satisfaction was widely felt among all participants.

“It is obvious that customers are interested in fast solutions adjusting to the pace of today’s world,” said a member of a Turkish exhibitors’ delegation who preferred to be unnamed.

“We had great response to our products, especially those which provide quick solutions.”

Gitex showed a number of new trends. Most importantly, it proved that development in the Middle East was strongly connected with ICT optimization.

Infrastructure developments in the region caused spending on audiovisual solutions and major vendors. Products vary from high-definition slim bezel signage monitors to a range of intelligent, interactive LED displays.

The market is embracing modernity, simplicity in design and intelligent innovation.

“The Middle East countries are focusing more on education and health sectors, and maximum budgets are allocated to these two sectors,” said Ravinder Kumar, general manager of the business solutions network at Sharp Middle East.

Saudi government agencies had a strong presence. Aside from the Saudi Export Development Agency, Riyadh Municipality and the Saudi Ministry of Justice were among the government representatives.

One may wonder how attending such an event benefits a government entity.

“We are introducing our Emergency app 904. This app is to reroute, create awareness, etc., for citizens in Riyadh,” said a member of the marketing team at Riyadh Municipality.

A delegate from the Ministry of Finance said that such events are a great platform for exchanging information on products, showcasing them and collecting ideas.

“At such events, we can present our knowledge and highlight the status of ICT development in Saudi Arabia. Equally important is for us to see the status of development,” he said.

One of the few announcements made on the last day was the unveiling of the TRA (the UAE’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority) and of the updated UAEPedia now available in English and Arabic.

The new UAEPedia is designed as a collaborative information base on the UAE, from the UAE to the world. The new website builds upon the well-known Wiki open-source model, allowing controlled collaboration across the public and private sectors to contribute and enrich the content.

A range of new and innovative offerings both in terms of content development and user functionality includes mobile apps for Android and iOS devices, augmented reality covering a wide variety of the UAE monuments, interactive maps with directions, location-linked QR-codes, smart browsing, the UAE timeline and Instagram-like photo albums where users can upload and share their own photos or videos.

In another event, Panasonic unveiled fastest multi-function duplex. With the new range of KX-MB2100 series of multifunction duplex printers unveiled by Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa, offices can now save on paper usage and printing time.

Conventional A4 size multifunction printers invert the pages one at a time, resulting in slow performance and poor productivity.

Panasonic’s new multifunction printers — KX-MB2170, KX-MB2130 and KX-MB2120 — come with quick duplexing, making it possible to print on both sides at speeds of up to 24 pages per minute.

From routine print jobs and enhanced document security to on-the-go mobile printing, these versatile printers have all the features that modern business environments demand.