GITEX GLOBAL 2024: Dubai Frames an AI Economy While Europe Brings a 15-Company Delegation
- ›GITEX GLOBAL 2024 is organized around the theme Global Collaboration to Forge a Future AI Economy and will foreground practical AI and deep tech applications.
- ›Organizers report large scale participation including thousands of companies, hundreds of hours of content, and major investor presence, while launching new programmes to accelerate soonicorns.
- ›Europe is strongly represented via a European Pavilion and an EIC delegation of 15 companies supported under the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0.
- ›Opportunities for European scaleups include market access, investor meetings, and government contracting but measurable outcomes will depend on follow up, localisation and regulatory alignment.
- ›There are tensions between rapidly evolving AI commercialisation and the policy drive for safety and interoperability that exhibitors and buyers must navigate.
GITEX GLOBAL 2024: Dubai Frames an AI Economy While Europe Brings a 15-Company Delegation
One month before doors open in Dubai, Trixie LohMirmand, Executive Vice President at Dubai World Trade Centre and CEO of KAOUN International, outlined the ambitions and programming for GITEX GLOBAL 2024. The trade fair is positioning itself as a focal point for practical AI adoption, deep tech showcases and international partnerships. The European Innovation Council is bringing a delegation of 15 EIC-backed companies to the European Pavilion from 13 to 18 October 2024.
Programming, scale and the AI economy theme
The programme emphasises not only blue sky thinking about AI but real world applications across sectors including data and IoT, data centres, cybersecurity, health, finance, energy, education, mobility, sustainability and the creative economy. Organizers cite a PwC forecast that AI could contribute up to around 15.7 trillion dollars to the global economy by 2030. The show is also designed to connect founders with capital with organisers noting participation by venture capital fund managers overseeing more than 1 trillion dollars in assets.
Europe’s presence and the European Pavilion
What GITEX offers European companies seeking to expand
GITEX is billed as a stage for market entry, commercial partnerships, investor meetings and public sector engagement. For European companies the event is an opportunity to meet private buyers, distribution partners, government digital agencies and investors from across 180 countries. The organisers highlight dedicated investor tracks and more than 1,200 venture capitalists in attendance.
Practical guidance for EIC entrepreneurs heading to Dubai
EIC delegation and European Pavilion specifics
The European Innovation Council is sending 15 EIC awardees to exhibit under the European Pavilion Hall 1 Booth B20 at GITEX GLOBAL 2024. The delegation participates as part of the EIC Business Acceleration Services Global Offer and the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0. A pre-departure briefing took place on 4 July 2024 to prepare companies and share market insights from GITEX organisers.
| Company | Country |
| Actronika SAS | France |
| Alternative Energy Innovations SL | Spain |
| AquaB | Ireland |
| Axelera AI | The Netherlands |
| Billon | Poland |
| DOTLUMEN SRL | Romania |
| Dronamics | Bulgaria |
| Electrochaea GmbH | Germany |
| Excess Engineering AS | Norway |
| GO-Pen APS | Denmark |
| NEVOMO | Poland |
| Multiverse Computing SL | Spain |
| Quside Technologies SL | Spain |
| RAIKU Packaging OU | Estonia |
| SIA NACO Technologies | Latvia |
Implications and critical perspective
Large numbers and headline forecasts make events like GITEX attractive to policymakers and investors. That scale can accelerate matchmaking but it can also obscure the difficulty of converting interest into contracts and pilots. Many technologies shown at trade fairs require adaptation for local markets and regulatory regimes. The tension between accelerating AI innovation and ensuring safety, interoperability and fairness is real and will play out in deals and procurement in coming years.
For European policymakers and the EIC the practical question is whether participation translates into durable exports, investment, technology transfer and capacity building, especially for smaller firms. Trade fairs can open doors but durable outcomes need sustained commercial effort and policy alignment across jurisdictions.
Looking forward
GITEX GLOBAL 2024 runs from 13 to 18 October in Dubai. Organisers flag a continuing partnership with Europe through GITEX EUROPE scheduled in Berlin from 21 to 23 May 2025. For European companies considering the region, the show offers a high visibility platform but it is not a substitute for long term market strategy or regulatory preparation.