His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi inaugurates GITEX Shopper Spring 2016

Eager to snap up the unbeatable deals on the latest must-have gadgets, thousands of technophiles flocked to GITEX Shopper Spring, the region’s leading and highly anticipated consumer electronics event, on its opening day. Inaugurated by His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi, Director General, Department of Economic Development in Dubai, in the presence of His Excellency Helal Saeed Al Marri, Director General, Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing (DTCM) and Director General, Dubai World Trade Centre Authority, the four-day showcase of state-of-the-art technology, runs until Saturday, 2 April, at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Occupying Sheikh Saeed Halls 1, 2, 3 and the Arena, the show brings together the region’s top power retailers, and an astounding range of regional power global consumer technology brands, communication and entertainment products. Visitors spent the first day snapping up deals on the latest smartphones, tablets, laptops, HD TVs, cameras, household appliances and much more.

Presenting over 35,000 tech consumer choices under one roof, GITEX Shopper Spring has once again attracted global high tech brands, including Samsung, Lenovo, Xbox, Hisense and Huawei and regional heavyweight retailers – Jacky’s Electronics, Jumbo, E-Max Electronics, Plug Ins and Sharaf DG, to name a few.

“It’s an honour to have His Excellency Sami Al Qamzi open GITEX Spring Shopper and lend his support to the show,” commented Trixie LohMirmand, Senior Vice President, Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC). “With the fast pace of the technology world touching every facet of our lives today, this show is a major drawcard for all ages and interests. Whether upgrading to a new version or learning about the latest innovations in every consumer tech product range, GITEX Shopper and Shopper Smart Living make it easy to find, compare and scoop the latest products at exceptional deals.”

A number of new experience zones introduced this year include the ‘Xbox Gaming Zone’ and ‘This Hot! That's Cool!’, offering visitors the opportunity to test and experience the latest technologies, new launches and gadgets that are available for purchase or will be coming soon.

Thanks to Microsoft, GITEX Shopper Spring visitors are being given an exclusive opportunity to play the latest and highly innovative ‘Quantum Break’. “We are bringing the latest and greatest in Xbox to GITEX Shopper this year. Visitors to our stand will exclusively get to play ‘Quantum Break’ even before its global release on April 5th. They will also experience our latest innovation in Windows 10 and Xbox through continuum, which enables gamers to transform their gaming experience between PC and Xbox,” said Kerim Ozbakirci Xbox Lead, Microsoft Gulf.

Co-located with GITEX Shopper Spring, Shopper Smart Living welcomed visitors to the Smart Home Experience Zone, a state-of-the-art simulated home environment showcasing the latest technology, home automation and smart home appliances that are the future of tomorrow’s homes. The zone includes demonstrations of the connectivity, automation and convenience of operating our appliances through the touch of a button on our smartphones. Leading brands participating at Shopper Smart Living include Bosch, Braun & Valera, Kenwood, LG, Midea, Moulinex, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Siemens and Tefal.

As part of the action-packed festivities, shoppers also get a chance to walk away with more than half a million dirhams worth of prizes, including daily prizes of AED 50,000 cash and two amazing travel packages each worth AED 20,000, and a grand prize – a brand new Mitsubishi Montero Sport SUV on the final day of the show.  

A major attraction at this year’s show, visitors thronged to the “Jacky’s SmartChef Competition” kitchen where contestants demonstrated their culinary prowess using the latest in smart kitchen appliances to create a high tea menu. The competition runs for the duration of the show, with contestants being knocked out every round, and a grand finale cook-out scheduled for Saturday.

Global tech player Samsung is promising one of the broadest ranges of products this year.  Purushotham, Head of Marketing (Smartphone & Tablets) IT and Mobile Division at Samsung Gulf Electronics said: “We’re delighted to offer consumers an opportunity to experience a wide selection of products, including our latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, the Galaxy A (2016) Series and the latest edition of the Gear VR, the pioneer behind the incredibly immersive mobile virtual reality experience. Whether you want to play a game, watch a movie, or even take a virtual vacation, the possibilities with Gear VR are limitless.

“We’re also showcasing a number of products that enhance modern living – the Twin Cooling Plus™ TMF refrigerator and the Active Dual Wash washing machine, along with our latest SUHD and UHD range of televisions, soundbars and wireless audio speakers, to name just a few.”

Sky Telecom, the Dubai-based telecom & digital enabler for ICT service providers and the consumer technology industry, officially launched its ‘Trusted Store’ program at GITEX Shopper Spring. Ali Kassab, CEO, said: “The ‘Trusted Store’ programme connects consumers with a wide range of unique benefits, including mobile money, social wallet, e-payment, digital marketplace and virtual stores, enabling consumers to connect, view, interact and transact with thousands of retail outlets dealing in telecom devices, accessories and services, while benefitting from many offers, rewards and an enhanced customer experience. We’ve had many shoppers register for our program at the stand, and thanks to the show’s promotions and a wide range of participating vendors, we expect to see many more users sign up over the course of the four days.”

Power retailer Emax reported an immediate rush of customers, according to CEO Neelesh Bhatnagar: “We’ve had a very interactive stand on the opening day as shoppers rushed to benefit from our outstanding offers and promotions. To meet the needs of today’s consumers, we are featuring a whole new range of products across all categories. Smartphones, with numerous recent launches, is definitely a leading segment, but laptops, tablets and UHD TVs have also garnered shoppers’ interest.”

Mahesh Chotrani, Assistant Vice President of Jacky’s Electronics, said: “We’ve been participating at GITEX Shopper for many years now and this four-day event represents a month’s worth of sales for Jacky’s Electronics. It’s well worth a visit to our stand, because we’re offering extraordinary bundle offers, real-time bargains and good prices of the latest technology products that are exclusive to the show and not in our stores.

“This year, we’re continuing to see notebooks and smartphones as the key product categories at the show. We’ve also seen kitchen appliances tend to do well in terms of sales, thanks to Shopper Smart Living show. Wearable tech -- smart watches, fitness and health products – continue to trend.”

GITEX Shopper Spring 2016 and Shopper Smart Living take place from 30 March - 2 April and open from 11:00am – 11:00pm every day.

Tickets are AED25/- per person, include access to both GITEX Shopper Spring and Shopper Smart Living and are available at the venue and select ZOOM outlets. Entry is AED 10 per student for groups of 50 and above.