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GESS Dubai 2022 Roundup

by Eddie Rayner

GESS Dubai, the leading education conference and exhibition in the Middle East region, welcomed thousands of visitors, over 300 brands and exhibitors, and 200+ speakers over its three-day run, and will be returning next year from 30 October to 1 November 2023 to continue to contribute in shaping the future of education in the region.  

Exhibitors from a variety of categories from EdTech (AI, AR, VR, coding, and digital), STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics), hardware (3D printers, AV, multimedia technology, and accessories), school management tools, uniforms and equipment, furniture and design solutions through to books, arts, crafts, music, educational toys, language learning, sports, fitness and wellbeing, online learning, government bodies, associations and more unveiled and demonstrated a plethora of revolutionary products and solutions designed to empower educators with the tools to future-proof their learning environment.

Government bodies also took country pavilions, including the UAE Ministry of Education, which also features Nebras Education Holding, Tahaluf Al Emarat Technical Solution LLC, Sharjah Private Educations Authority (SPEA), United Educational Publishing, and Alef Education, and The Saudi Pavilion, which houses the Ministry of Education – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Education & Training Evaluation Commission, National eLearning Centre (NELC), Emkan Education (Aanaab Platform), and Classera.

A special spotlight was shone on emerging businesses at the start-up pavilion. Some of the brands included youHQ, Coding First, Setterox 3D Printing Products, Growgreen Limited, Jana Reading, Ligiscool UAE, StuDIYo Lab, Atheii Smart Technology, The Little Engineer, Practice Pal Music, Houroufi, Markanyx Solutions Inc., How to Teach Music Online, Windsor Uniforms, Louise Dawson Educational Services, Ipaxi Paxikid /Landpax LTD, Metanoia, and Donams. 


Alongside the exhibition and conferences, a glittering gala event celebrated the quality and diversity of educational products, resources, services, and people


A series of stimulating workshops, talks, and panel discussions awaited visitors at the conference area, featuring various zones such as the Future Transformation Room, the Wellbeing Room, the Global Learning Room, the Leaders in Education Conference, Skills Development Training, and the Growth Mindset Room. The final day saw a packed line-up of topics, including The Benefits of VR-based Training and Education by Nikhail Nair, Consumer Business Lead, MEA at HTC VIVE; Mind Masters: Mindfulness and Wellbeing to Support Students to Learn by Dominic Watts, Coach and Trainer at The Free Spirit Collective; Using Machine Learning to Evaluate Spoken Language Proficiency by Ahmed El-Shimi, Chief Product Officer at Speechace; Leading with Vulnerability by Jeni Dellman, Head of Primary School at British School Muscat; and a Panel Discussion on The Metaverse and the Future of Learning. 


A special spotlight was shone on emerging businesses at the start-up pavilion


Alongside the exhibition and conferences, a glittering gala event celebrated the quality and diversity of educational products, resources, services, and people as well as the best educational establishments and the most dedicated members of the teaching profession. The awards were divided into two sections – the first for Teachers, Schools, and Education professionals, and the second for Suppliers and/or Distributors. The category winners from over 800 entries from a total of 51 countries are: 

Judges Commendation Award – Teachers, Schools and Educational Professionals – Mr. Ebenezer Kojo Otoo – Winneba Secondary School (Ghana)

Awards for Teachers, Schools, and Education Professionals

  • Ambassador for the Environment – Kristina Rowena Estero – The British School of Bahrain (Bahrain)
  • Best Initiative for Inclusion and Wellbeing – GEMS Modern Academy (UAE)
  • Best Use of Digital Learning in the Classroom – Aidan Godwin – Repton Al Barsha (UAE)
  • Best use of STEAM Learning in the Classroom – Dianna Kuhn – Rio Vista Elementary (USA)
  • Best use of STEAM Learning in the Classroom – Lisha Joyal – Al Hekma International School (Bahrain)
  • Community Award for Citizenship – Abdullah Alhussein – SB Overseas (Lebanon)
  • Innovation in Education – The Farmhouse at Arbor – The Arbor School (UAE)
  • Outstanding Contribution in Education – Shirin Farzana – The Winchester School Jebel Ali (UAE)
  • Judges Commendation Award – Teachers, Schools and Educational Professionals – Kamil Majeed – Nordic International School, Lahore (Pakistan)
  • Judges Commendation Award – Teachers, Schools and Educational Professionals – Mr. Ebenezer Kojo Otoo – Winneba Secondary School (Ghana)
  • Mark Duncan Award for Educational Influencer of the Year – Kausor Amin-Ali – All Children Read (UAE)
Best Sustainable / Eco-friendly Product – N M B Water Treatment (UAE)

Awards for Suppliers and/or Distributors

  • Best CSR Programme for Education – FRG Korea Co., Ltd. (South Korea)
  • Best Digital / VR / AI Product – Discovery Education Espresso (UK)
  • Best Free App / Software Product – PictoBlox (India)
  • Best Paid App / Software Product – ThingLink (Finland)
  • Best Product to Promote Arts, Music and Drama in the Classroom – The Knowledge Hub – School Radio (UAE)
  • Best Product to Promote Wellbeing in the Classroom – EStars (UAE)
  • Best Sustainable / Eco-friendly Product – N M B Water Treatment (UAE)
  • Innovation Product Awards – Digital / Coding / Software – ELSA, Corp. (Vietnam)
  • Innovation Product Awards – non-ICT / Equipment / Hardware – Action Mats (UK)
  • Early Years Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year – Scholastic Asia Young Storytellers Award / Scholastic Asia (Malaysia)
  • Primary Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year – Twig Science (UK)
  • Secondary and Higher Education Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year – Aristo e-Companion for Interactive Geography (Hong Kong S.A.R., China)
  • Secondary and Higher Education Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year – Bedrock Learning (UK)
  • SEN Resource / Equipment Supplier of the Year – mTalent / Learnetic (Poland)
  • Start Up Company of the Year – Face The Future (Singapore)
  • Judges Commendation Award – Supplier – Welbee (UK)
  • Judges Commendation Award – Supplier – Edpuzzle (UK)
Judges Commendation Award – Supplier – Edpuzzle (UK)

The launch of tpg media’s new publication, Education Saudi, was also announced by the company’s Partner and Media Director, Laura Wojciechowski, who attended on behalf of Education UAE and presented the award for the Ambassador for the Environment to Kristina Rowena Estero from. The British School of Bahrain (Bahrain).

What a Week!

Exhibitors praised the event as it once again proved to be a valuable platform to generate awareness for their products and services and engage with key decision makers in the industry. “We have signed two contracts at our booth, which is something that never happens at other educational fairs in the past so we were really really happy that we attended GESS Dubai 2022,” Daniel Rogoz, Co-founder and CEO of Kinderpedia.


“We have signed two contracts at our booth, which is something that never happens at other educational fairs”


“We’ve had an incredible show, taken some fantastic leads, and we are very excited about the opportunities ahead. We will be back, and look forward to seeing everyone at GESS Turkey”, Andrew Ridgway, Founder and CEO of Everybody Counts Ltd.

Visitors also expressed how GESS Dubai exceeded all their expectations, sharing how the conference provided them with ideas and insights on how to leverage digital technology in their classrooms and schools, as well as helping them in their journey to improve in their profession.

“GESS Dubai was back and what a week! Loved the relationships we built with new vendors for our schools and the inspiration that radiated from the speakers!” Linda Parsons, Innovation Lead of Al Futtaim Education.

As media partner and event sponsor, Education UAE’s very own Laura was there to present the GESS award for Ambassador for the Environment

Visitors expressed how GESS Dubai exceeded all their expectations


“GESS Dubai is not only a great opportunity to learn from the diverse pool of knowledge in the education industry but also one of the best platforms to network with the greatest minds in the education sector. The exhibition showcases state-of-the-art technologies and platforms to implement in school while the talks present perfect guidelines for educators on how to improve teaching methods and revolutionise the school culture. I’m proud to be a part of the diverse GESS community and look forward to positive interactions in the future,” Kamil Majeed, Principal and COO of Nordic International School, Lahore, Pakistan.

For more information on GESS Dubai or if you are interested to participate in next year’s edition, visit www.gessdubai.com or send an email to [email protected].