Dubai Internet City Supports ArabNet’s Regional Summit in Beirut

ICT Cluster Offers Second-time Support as ‘Gulf Outreach Partner’ to Premier Gathering of ICT Professionals

Dubai-UAE: 16 March, 2011 – Dubai Internet City today announced its support for the ArabNet 2011 Shift Digital Summit, an international event that gathers leading web/mobile professionals, investors, developers, and NGOs to discuss the industry’s latest trends and technologies.

Dubai Internet City will be the Gulf Outreach Partner for the summit that provides an opportunity for regional executives to connect with global players. It additionally offers an understanding of the Arab market to Silicon Valley companies interested in expanding into the region.

To be held from 22-25 March in Beirut, the ArabNet 2011 Shift Digital Summit also serves as a platform for entrepreneurs looking for exposure, funding and mentorship.

The Beirut Summit comes after the conclusion of the roadshow taken up last year by ArabNet on a bus across the Middle East. The three-week trip was organised under the banner of ‘Entrepreneurs without Borders’ with strategic partners such as Bank Audi, Aramex, Google, N2V and MBC Group.

Within the framework of the roadshow, free workshops were held in the UAE, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Egypt, attracting over 1,500 professionals, entrepreneurs, and university students. During its edition in Dubai, DIC joined with ArabNet to organise a workshop titled ‘Speed Up Your Startup’ that emphasized the use of new technologies and trends such as social media to help build and promote businesses.

Majed Al Suwaidi, Director Business Development at Dubai Internet City, said: “We consider it an imperative to support regional entrepreneurship as part of our long-term strategy. This can be achieved only through collaborating with companies and associations in the region such as ArabNet.”

“The success stories we hear at these events are highly inspiring and encouraging to prospective entrepreneurs. The youth also gain an opportunity to interact with lawyers, investors and business leaders. Judging from the feedback received from the roadshow workshops, we are confident the Beirut summit will prove as beneficial to the entire community.”

Over 1,000 attendees and 80 high-profile speakers are expected to attend the four-day ArabNet 2011 Shift Digital Summit in Beirut that includes a Developer Day focused on engineers/ technical issues, as well as a Community Day to raise awareness about the web and entrepreneurship.

At the forefront of the region's ICT industry, Dubai Internet City remains committed to supporting emerging technology trends in the region and continues to play an instrumental role in developing the industry while contributing to Dubai's drive to create a knowledge-based economy.