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Hyderabad to hold international IT fete in Jan 2002

Syed Amin Jafri in Hyderabad

The Dubai World Trade Centre will organise Gitex Hyderabad, a premier exhibition for computing and information technology in January 2002. The three-day event is expected to generate deals worth an estimated $500 million and attract 200 to 300 major IT players from all over the world.

Announcing the event at a media conference on Monday, DWTC General Manager Wahid Attalla said: "Taking Gitex to Hyderabad will be the beginning of a new era in the history of DWTC. This is the first time we are taking Gitex to a venue outside the Middle East."

He said that Gitex Dubai, the flagship show of DWTC, is the largest and most successful event of its kind in the Middle East. Besides Gitex Dubai, the DWTC organises Gitex in Cairo (Egypt) and Beirut (Lebanon). And from next year, the show would be staged in Hyderabad.

Attalla said that more than 73,000 trade visitors from 102 countries attended Gitex Dubai-2000, while Gitex Computer Shopper, the retail arm of Gitex 2001 reported a visitor turnout exceeding 76,000. About 500 companies participated in the event.

"DWTC is committed to make Gitex Hyderabad next January a huge success. We are sure that the size of the Indian market and the Andhra Pradesh government's keen interest in Information Technology-led economic growth will make Gitex Hyderabad a world-class IT show," Attalla said.

J Satyanarayana, secretary information technology, AP government, said that Gitex Hyderabad-2002 would be a mega IT event providing a platform for B2B exchanges.

"Our preliminary estimates are that business worth $500 million will be transacted in B2B deals at this three-day event which will focus on IT software, solutions and services and IT for infotainment sector," he added.

"We expect Gitex Hyderabad will be a big event in terms of providing solutions and newly-developed software products and facilitate interaction and deals between Indian and international IT and non-IT companies. The Gitex Hyderabad will be an annual event and in the first year, we hope to attract 200 to 300 companies, almost doubling the number in the next few years," Attalla pointed out.

The components of the Hyderabad event will include the main exhibition (meant for trade, professionals and businessmen), computer shopper (to facilitate buying and selling), a conference alongside the exhibition, reselling channel (technical forum) and lot of seminars.

"We expect IT companies and trade visitors to come from Europe, America, Middle East and Africa," the DWTC general manager said.

"Dubai and Hyderabad have a lot in common as far as the new economy initiatives are concerned. Through Dubai government's initiatives such as Dubai Internet City, Dubai Ideas Oasis and the e-government initiatives, Dubai is fast emerging as the IT hub of the region. Hyderabad too has similar initiatives in the form of Hitec City, several software parks and e-government programmes," Attallah observed.

"With Gitex Hyderabad all set to take off in January 2002, Dubai World Trade Centre hopes to play the key role of a catalyst in enhancing the interactions between various IT companies and professionals from both cities. We hope Gitex Hyderabad will be just the beginning of a seamless flow of ideas, initiatives and professionals between Dubai and Hyderabad," Ibrahim Al Hashemi, corporate manager, exhibitions, DWTC said.

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