THERE ISN’T JUST ONE MAJOR TECHNOLOGY SHOW IN THE GCC REGION ANY LONGER.”

Technology journalism has always been a passion during my career as it’s connected me to the most interesting people and places.

For those who are old enough to remember “Windows Middle East” magazine, you might have read some of my interview features and columns in there circa 2008 — 2010. Back then, it was also a normal part of my life to travel widely to some of the world’s biggest technology events. And in my time, I’ve been to a few. From Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

Then, of course, there’s GITEX and I have a lot of interesting memories from that particular Dubaibased event. But what’s struck ever since returning to the GCC late last year is how there isn’t just one major technology show in the region any longer.

During this month, I’ll be attending LEAP and DeepFest in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia from 4 - 7 March, 2024. What astounds me about LEAP is that it has only been going since the year 2022, but in this short space of time it has grown so much that it ranks right up there with GITEX. This is because LEAP, last year, attracted over 172,000 attendees. GITEX, meanwhile, claims to have attracted over 180,000 visitors at its last event in 2023.

Both of these events are bringing in the biggest names in technology from Silicon Valley to Shenzhen. Therefore, this month’s edition of our magazine is packed with technology news, from how Alat is building a Silicon Valley in Saudi Arabia to our special 16 page report on Artificial Intelligence. I hope you enjoy the read.