Many political leaders from around the world, including several heads of states, Prime Ministers, Presidents and over 20 ministers, IT experts, will be participating at the high-profile Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019), which will kick off on October 29, 2019, a senior official at the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC) announced at an event yesterday.
The fifth-edition of QITCOM, to be held at Qatar National Convention Centre this year, will be different as the event will also be held jointly with the Munich Security Conference Core Group Meeting (MSC Core Group Meeting). And both the events will focus on ‘Safe, Smart Cities’.
“We have very strong representation from across the globe from the political arena and the IT space. Several prime ministers, presidents, and more than 20 ministers from across the globe will be attending the high-profile event,” said Siddharth Sibal (pictured), Head of the Digital Transformation of SMEs Program at MoTC during his address at the opening of a seminar on ‘Emerging Tech: AI and Machine Learning’.
He added: “QITCOM 2019 will serve as a big platform for the IT industry and entrepreneurs. It is the largest IT conference happening in Qatar, which is held after every two years. This is in line with Qatar’s long-term vision to become a knowledge-based economy and society.”
Yesterday’s session on Emerging Tech, organised by Digital Incubation Centre (part of MoTC), was attended by more than 300 people, including representatives from local IT companies and entrepreneurs. Experts from several IT giants provided presentations on cutting-edge technologies, AI and the latest trends in machine learning. The speakers included Mohammed Afaneh from Microsoft; Sanjay Chawla from Qatar Computing Research Institute; Diaa Eldin Ali from IBM Qatar; and Zia Saleem from Integration EXPERTS.
The session also educated and informed the attendees about the various opportunities arising out of the QITCOM 2019. The QITCOM event aims to serve as a platform to connect multinational businesses to local businesses and to connect them with Qatar projects, especially in the digital sector.
The event’s focus on ‘Safe, Smart Cities’ is very important topic, and a very large number of local and international companies are participating in the exhibition showcasing their capabilities on how to provide safe and smart solutions. The 4-day event will discuss smart city security challenges and related regional initiatives, as well as strategies on universal cybersecurity by global firms. The MSC Core Group Meeting in Qatar will also bring together high-profile representatives of governments, international organisations, business, militaries, and academia to discuss regional and global security issues.
This year’s vision of the event is to have a selection of 100 local and international startups, who will receive exclusive access to potential investors and large enterprises in Qatar. Participants will comprise of a perfect mix of innovators, startups, future unicorns and entrepreneurs, who will have free access to showcase their innovations at QITCOM 2019. Shortlisted participants will be eligible for speaking opportunities and awards.
The event, as part of the QITCOM Entrepreneurship Zone, Startup Hub, will alos provide an inspiring opportunity for mature and successful entrepreneurs to present their creative ideas at Qatar’s largest digital event, Qatar IT Conference and Exhibition (QITCOM 2019).
Commenting about the yesterday’s session, Mariam Abdullah, Marketing Manager at Digital Incubation Centre (DIC), which is part of the Ministry of Transport and Communication (MoTC), said: “We host a lot of information sessions for the entrepreneurs. The entrepreneurs that specialise in technology are supported by DIC. Any startup or entrepreneur interested in technology they can apply and register with us to avail the benefits and support that we offer. Today’s event is one of the info-sessions that we that we host for our entrepreneurs to learn latest technology and the industry.”
She added: “Today’s session is about emerging technologies such as AI, machine learning. We are going to host many more sessions in the coming days in the run-up-to the QITCOM 2019 event, which will provide great opportunities for IT companies and entrepreneurs to learn more about the industry.”
