From 17 to 21 October, 13 Latvian companies will participate in the international ICT fair “GITEX Technology Week” in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The companies will showcase their ICT solutions tailored to different sectors, helping to digitise processes and boost business competitiveness. GITEX is one of the first events organised as part of the international fair EXPO 2020.
Latvia will be represented by 13 companies: CatchSmart, Efectio, getUgo, Latvijas Mobilais Telefons, MOBIO, Raden Solutions, SAPIDUM, SOLAVI, SWH SETS, Tapbox, TestDevLab, AdvanGrid and the Institute of Electronics and Computer Science. GITEX will bring together more than 4,500 world-class companies, tech industry leaders, IT and start-ups to showcase their latest solutions, ideas and innovations.
“The ICT industry has changed a lot — the solutions and services we will present to the world can be used in many different areas. It is a horizontal sector that covers almost every area of activity in both the public and private sectors, which is why the Latvian stand will also feature solutions for waste management and more efficient urban planning, as well as employee well-being, drone solutions and other technological innovations. Latvian companies will use the fair as a global platform to network and develop various cooperation opportunities both with Middle East countries and globally, introducing Latvian ICT solutions, technologies and innovations to companies, institutions and government representatives,” said Kaspars Rožkalns, Director General of the Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA).
One of the companies already heading to Dubai is Efectio, a start-up that aims to promote employee engagement in business processes globally. Efectio is has just won the co-creation B2B solutions hackathon Born Global organised to address the key challenges of Latvian exporting companies by leveraging digital solutions.
“This is definitely one of the biggest technology events — we want to see what’s hot in the industry. Of course, we also see participation as an opportunity to meet potential investors. We are also open to adapting our solution to local needs if required. At the moment, we have not come across any comparable competitors — we will look for them at the fair because competition would serve as a flag that would tell about the demand in another part of the world,” says Artūrs Bernovskis, CEO of Efectio.
CatchSmart’s services include manufacturing process development and automation, quality control tools and mobile apps designed to meet the need to improve factory operations. The solutions are tested in a real environment and can be tailored to different companies to optimise workflow processes.
“We have a close and long-standing cooperation with LIAA, and this is the fourth consecutive year we have participated in GITEX. The partners we have gained are an invaluable asset, we keep in touch and continue to work together today. Our goal at GITEX and EXPO is to find new partners and to present Oversee and our other products internationally. It is an opportunity that we value and take advantage of,” says Madara Melne, Strategic Development Director at CatchSmart.
Technology Week will be held simultaneously with the fair and several other events — Ai Everything, GITEX Future Stars, Fintech Surge, Future Blockchain Summit and Marketing Mania — introducing exhibitors and visitors to the latest trends and future perspectives in the technology industry. More about GITEX: https://www.gitex.com/.
Immediately after the fair, from 21 to 28 October, 16 Latvian IT companies will participate in a trade mission, where the focus will be on making new contacts by promoting their products or services to foreign partners.
The EXPO 2020 will take place from 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. Additional information on Latvia’s participation in EXPO 2020 is available here: https://www.expo2020.lv/.