5TH EDITION OF THE ARAB FUTURE CITIES SUMMIT QATAR ROLLS OUT IN APRIL 2016

The Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar, today announced the 2016 edition of its marquee event featuring regional and international industry experts, senior government officials and sector specialists will be held on 11-12 April at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Doha. Organized by global conference producers, Expotrade, the summit is considered as the premier smart cities event in the region, connecting over 400 participants from across the GCC with prominent thought leaders from around the world. The summit aims to discuss path-breaking ideas, and explore how technology can be leveraged within the smart city infrastructure to create sustainable solutions.

The 2015 edition of the summit was inaugurated by Eng. Abdulla Abdulaziz T. Al Subaie, Managing Director, Qatar Rail, in the presence of esteemed dignitaries including Hamad Ibrahim al-Bishri, deputy CEO of Qatar Rail; Dr. Rainer Schnepfleitner, department manager, Regulation and Competition Affairs, Communications Regulatory Authority (CRA); Ashraf Ali Ismael, national information assurance manager, Cyber Security Division, (Q-CERT), ICTQatar; Dr. Fethi Filali, head of technology development and applied research, Qatar Mobility Innovations Centre and Ahmad Kawakbi, ICT & Stakeholder Manager, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy - FIFA World Cup Qatar who also spoke at the summit.

Developing a robust smart city ecosystem involves seamless integration, synergy and connectivity of the central pillars that constitute a city – public transport, governance operations, infrastructure, utilities, healthcare, communications, and municipal services. In accordance with Qatar’s National Vision 2030, the government has ushered in a new phase of development, incorporating smart technology, state-of-the-art infrastructure and services to provide its citizens a smart, sustainable and efficient future that ensures an improved quality of life. Additionally, hosting the FIFA World Cup 2022 has presented a gamut of growth opportunities and further propelled the concept of smart cities in this region. 

Announcing the dates of the Summit, Mr. Brad Hariharan, Regional Director, Expotrade Middle East, said, “In its fifth year now, the Summit has established itself as the foremost smart cities event in the region. Setting the benchmark in promoting innovation and identifying emerging trends impacting this region, the summit presents a common platform for all stakeholders to innovate, educate and collaborate to generate ideas on making the concept of smart cities a reality. Over two days, leading experts and practitioners from across industries will share their expertise and knowledge on harnessing technological innovations and defining effective strategies to boost smart city initiatives in the region.”

The two-day conference agenda covers a broad range of forward-thinking topics such as smart connectivity, smart mobility and transportation, Internet of Everything (IoE), economical and sustainable smart vehicles, building automation, Lusail city’s innovations, cyber security amongst many more, that provide a comprehensive view of the smart city development in the State of Qatar. 

Over 20 speakers and industry visionaries will unveil their views on how smart city development and technology deployment will meet Qatar’s smart city vision. Keynote sessions, panel discussions and case study presentations at the Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar will provide attendees with an opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge on the latest smart city technologies and solutions influencing the smart city domain in the region. 

With a plethora of networking opportunities, the summit will witness participation from technologists, developers, urban planners and researchers, investors, engineers and policy professionals from across the GCC. 

The 2015 edition of the summit was a runaway success and in the forthcoming year the summit is expected to be bigger before than before. The summit received appreciation from attendees and sponsors alike. Mr. Mohannad Khader, Vice President - Commercial, Qatar Cool, said, "Every year when we come here, we listen to new ideas, we get to know more people and great strategies from other well- reputed companies. It has been valuable for sure."

Safder Nazir, Regional Vice President, Smart Cities & IoT, Huawei, said, "We are glad to be back here at the Arab Future Cities in Doha. We find a very well-attended event with a high quality of guests here. We have been able to interact with a lot of people and share our vision and thought for the future of smart city development not only within Doha and Qatar but across the region as well."

More information on the Arab Future Cities Summit Qatar is available now at http://www.arabfuturecities.com/. Follow the Summit on social media with the hashtag #AFCS2016.