First Dubai World Game Expo announced

The Dubai World Game Expo, organized by INDEX Conferences and Exhibitions, will take place this year from October 28 to 30, under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Majid Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority.

Held in conjunction with the Dubai International Character & Licensing Fair (Character Dubai 2008), the two entertainment exhibitions will be the first of their kind in the Middle East and North Africa region.

The event will be a platform for showcasing a huge variety of electronic and web games, with the aim of promoting computer entertainment and gaming in this region. Retailers that have already shown an interest include Microsoft, Nintendo, Konami, EA, AMD, Intel and other big names from the industry.

Abdul Salam Madani, president of Index Holding said the Expo "will focus on products and services in an industry that is now growing at a staggering annual rate of 10.2% in the Middle East."

"The fair will serve to revitalize the e-games industry in the UAE and the entire region," he added. Expecting to attract 10,000 visitors, Koichi Yokoyama, project manager, added that "our intention of the Dubai World Game Expo is not just to spread the pleasure of computer entertainment to people in the Middle East but also to contribute to the game industry and economic diversification in the UAE. We'll have public day and also business day during the DWGE. It's all about connecting great games with people and businesses."

Special events scheduled to take place at the event include the Dubai World Game Championships and Dubai World Game Summit.

The Dubai World Game Championships will see 3,000 participants competing on different gaming platforms at qualification rounds scheduled to take place two months prior to the Expo. 300 finalists will be selected to battle it out at the DWGE for prizes worth more than $10,000. The Dubai World Game Expo also plans to sponsor 5 gamers to participate in an overseas competition to represent the DWGE.

The Dubai World Game Summit will see various workshops and discussions on the latest technologies emerging in this sector. Nokia, the platinum sponsor of the Dubai World Game Summit, will be delivering a keynote speech at the Summit and will also showcase its latest games for N-Gage at the exhibition area.

The venue of the Expo will be Hall 2 of the Dubai International Exhibition & Convention Centre and for more information, visit www.gameexpo.ae