The Middle East’s premier education show, GESS Dubai, returns this year with an exhibition showcasing a wide range of educational products from suppliers from all corners of the world and a CPD accredited conference featuring high-level speakers and innovative content.
We sit down with Matt Thompson, Project Director at Tarsus F&E, organisers of the global portfolio of GESS education shows, who shares the latest about the Dubai edition that is on its 13th year.
When: 25 to 27 February 2020
Where: Sheikh Saeed Halls, Dubai World Trade Centre
Website: www.gessdubai.com (online registration is now live)
1) Why is GESS Dubai an important event for the education sector in the Middle East?
GESS Dubai has been the leading platform for education industry stakeholders to connect, learn and innovate. It has been the primary venue for educational institutions and top-level decision makers to explore the latest education-products and solutions from leading companies and brands from all over the world.
Education professionals attending the show will also learn from global and local experts who will share insights on new advances in technology that are making an impact on teaching and learning in classrooms as well as the latest trends on latest trends on leadership, pedagogy and teaching methodologies, curriculum developments, wellbeing and other important topics shaping discussions on quality education.
Acknowledged as the premier education B2B event in the MENA region, with international visitors coming from 68 countries, GESS Dubai is organised in partnership with the UAE’s Ministry of Education, as well as supported by the Ministry of Education Bahrain, Ministry of Education Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), Arab Bureau of Education for Gulf States (ABEGS) and British Schools in the Middle East (BSME).
88% rated the ROI of exhibiting at GESS as good to excellent
96% rated GESS as good to excellent for finding new products or suppliers
94% rated GESS as important to the development of their school or organisation
2) Why should education professionals visit GESS Dubai?
This year the conference runs under the theme of “Fuelling Minds with Passion and Curiosity” and will feature a range of renowned keynote speakers and educationalists sharing their knowledge and passion in over 300, free of charge, CPD accredited talks and workshops.
The conference content is more comprehensive than ever, and as a result we have added more rooms, such as the Immersive Technology Stage, a dedicated space which will showcase immersive technology and host a range of expert speakers, both local and international, to share best practice in the use of AR and VR for learning; as well as GESS talks Active, where visitors can experience the power of music, drama, art and exercise to get students active, smiling and engaged; and GESS Bites, which are dynamic, insightful and fast paced sessions designed to get visitors thinking on a variety of education viewpoints and inspirations to foster change, conversations and collaboration.
School leaders and teachers will take away practical tips from leading local and international experts that can easily be implemented in their classrooms to make learning more engaging for their students.
3) What other important initiatives has GESS Dubai undertaken to strengthen its position as the leading education show in the region?
Our GESS Education Awards continue to grow in reach and prestige and is now on its 5th year.
Since its inception, the GESS Education Awards have received entries from around the world, with entries coming from 46 countries including the UK, Denmark, South Africa, Colombia, Pakistan, Australia, Spain, India, Finland, Canada and the United States; as well as countries from the Middle East and Africa, including Kenya and Nigeria where the 2nd GESS Leaders in Education Summit took place recently.
GESS Dubai also features a hosted Buyer Programme as part of Leaders in Education club where key decision makers in the UAE are selected to be part of to enjoy exclusive networking, content and tours of the exhibition. The 2019 event welcomed over 650 of the region’s most influential buyers to the show.
This year, we are launching an interactive visitor area, where visitors get a chance to create their own fingerprint character as part of the Mark You Mark wall, where we will be aiming to establish a world record for the most number of fingerprints gathered in a single event.
Matt Thompson is the Project Director at Tarsus F&E, which is the organiser of the global portfolio of GESS education shows