Organisers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) have decided to create additional space in order to meet rising demand for Gitex 2005, the premier regional IT event, which will be held at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre from September 25 to 28.

“In order to meet the growing demand, we have decided to create an additional 3,900 sq m of space adjacent to Hall 1. The new area which will be demarcated Hall 1A, can be accessed through Hall 1 and will also feature a full-service restaurant,” said DWTC director general Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri.
“This additional area represents a 9 per cent increase in gross floor space and is the ideal way to accommodate more exhibitors given that the entire available space in the exhibition halls and the concourse areas are already taken up,” said Al Marri.
With Hall 1 to Hall 4 and 5a being the dedicated zone for hardware, DWTC plans to utilise this space for hardware exhibitors and some country pavilions that cannot be accommodated elsewhere. During GIitex 2004, DWTC had created an additional 3,000 square metre tented area - The Pavilion - that was accessible from Hall 5 to Hall 7 to offer more room for exhibitors. The pavilion will also be available this year for the hardware sector.
“This is an obvious sign of growing worldwide interest in Gitex which has already been acclaimed as one of the world’s leading IT events. Its success lies in its sustained business generation capability and consumers’ continuing trust,” remarked Al Marri.
Gitex 2004 welcomed over 939 exhibitors representing more than 2,428 companies from 41 countries and attracted 116,346 trade visitors.
Gitex Shopper 2005, the commercial wing of the trade show, will be held at the Airport Expo from September 24  to 30, 2005 and offer a glimpse into the evolving trends in mobile devices, PDAs, handhelds and the synergy between desktop PCs and accessories. 
“Each year our show provides momentum to the industry, as it provides consumers and end users with a unique opportunity to view, inspect and be aware of the latest technological breakthroughs and new innovations in the industry,” said Al Marri.
He noted that GIitex Shopper offered consumers an ideal platform to choose and identify products that suited their individual requirements. The commercial event was expected to see a vast and more diverse range of products from leading international manufacturers.
Leading global names that will be represented at the Shopper are Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, Sanyo, and LG among others.