GITEX organisers have made plans to ensure record numbers of visitors won't mean inconvenience and congestion.
In a move to better tackle traffic congestion issues during the 25th edition of GITEX 2005, organisers Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) have devised a multi pronged strategy in conjunction with the Dubai Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), Dubai Municipality, Dubai Police, Dubai Transport Corporation (DTC), the city's leading hoteliers, Avis and Valtrans.
"With the quantum leap in visitor and exhibitor numbers over the years at GITEX, and the remarkable growth of the emirate, it has become essential to take steps to regulate traffic in and around the city during the exhibition," said DWTC Director General, Helal Saeed Khalfan Al Marri.
In order to effectively tackle this issue, the DWTC, has sought the help and cooperation of public and private sector organisations in Dubai to initiate measures to help ease the congestion," he stressed.
The recommendations include a shuttle service that runs at 40-minute intervals from the leading five-star hotels and other vantage points across the city, including Dubai Internet City and Bur Juman Centre.
While these services at 40-minute intervals will ply towards the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre (DICEC) during the morning hours, they will run from the DICEC to various destinations in the evening.
These services will complement the services by Dubai Transport Corporation's fleet of taxis and Valtrans's valet parking services.
Dubai Police personnel will be on site to ensure that the traffic moves smoothly and exhibitors, trade visitors and others are directed to the designated parking lots.
Dubai Municipality will be offering two special bus routes to enable the Dubai residents to visit the Middle East's largest IT show, GITEX Computer Shopper 2005, offering a hassle-free ride to the show's venue at Dubai Airport Expo starting from Saturday until 30 September.
The DTCM has coordinated with the hoteliers to provide adequate information about the timing, and frequency of the service to guests. The hotels will also offer prime parking space for these vehicles for the convenience of GITEX visitors.
Avis, that has the largest fleet of buses in the UAE, will provide the buses for this service, and ensure that the movement between these destinations and the DICEC remains smooth.
"GITEX gets a very high footfall and these solutions are designed to ease the traffic woes, however, we still recommend that exhibitors and visitors car-pool as far as possible or avail of the free shuttle service and other public modes of transport," Al Marri explained.
GITEX 2005 and its consumer arm GITEX Shopper 2005, are scheduled to start on September 24 and September 25, 2005 at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre and the Airport Expo respectively.
JAFZA relishes Opportunity
The Jebel Ali Free Zone (Jafza) has announced that it will have a strong presence at GITEX.
At GITEX, Jafza will highlight its state-of-the-art infrastructure and world-class facilities, and will also bring to the attention of potential investors the host of incentives it offers companies setting up operations in the free zone.
"Being the premier event of its kind in the region, GITEX brings together all major companies across the IT spectrum under one roof. This presents Jafza an excellent networking platform to interact with enterprises who might be interested in investing in the business-friendly environment of the free zone.
There are already a number of IT companies operating in Jafza, and we hope to significantly add to this existing portfolio by leveraging the GITEX platform," said Abdullah Al Banna, Senior Marketing Manager, Jafza.
"Jafza is continually looking for ways to enhance the quality of its facilities and services by adopting the most advanced technology, in order to keep pace with changing customer requirements.
As GITEX will feature a host of leading IT companies showcasing their products and solutions, it would afford us the opportunity to keep abreast of the latest developments in technology as well as adopt specific technological solutions that help add value to our overall services," Al Banna added.
Jafza offers a host of advantages to companies setting up operations in the free zone, such as a business environment free from red tape, zero duties on all import and export goods and machineries, modern communication facilities and excellent support services.
More than 5,000 companies from over 110 countries, including about 150 Fortune 500 companies, have set up facilities at Jafza.
"The strategic location of Jafza ensures that investors have the flexibility to react quickly to market demands and changes. In addition, Jafza offers world-class logistics and distribution capabilities that are unmatched anywhere in the region," Al Banna concluded.
7Days 2005
