Strong international presence seen as Dubai hosts GESS 2014

US and Finland to debut at the show, along with The International Society for Technology in Education

Dubai, United Arab Emirates; 16 February 2014 – The growing prominence of the Gulf Educational Supplies and Solutions (GESS) exhibition continues as it attracts participants from all over the world, with new exhibitors from the United States and Finland participating for the first time on March4-6, 2014 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

In addition to attracting exhibitors from the US, Thompson reveals that GESS has signed a partnership with the Washington, DC-based The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®), a premier non-profit organisation serving educators and education leaders committed to empowering connected learners in a connected world. ISTE serves more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world.

Consistently ranked as places with the most developed education systems in the world, US and Finland will set up country pavilions for the very first time at GESS with nine and six exhibition companies, respectively, offering a variety of education-related services and solutions.

The two new country pavilions add a significant boost to the growing international presence at GESS, with China, Germany, Korea and the United Kingdom all significantly increasing their presence by an average of 40% in terms of new exhibitors, compared to the previous year.

“This is a remarkable testament to the growing global importance of GESS as a platform where various education stakeholders can exchange ideas and insights as well as business that will address the growing needs for educational supplies and solutions in the Gulf region. The US and Finland have some of the most progressive education systems in the world and their interaction with local education stakeholders can lead to many potentially significant exchanges and benefits for the local education system in the UAE and the rest of the Gulf,” said Matt Thompson, Project Director, F&E Group, organisers of GESS.

According to Thompson, the partnership allows GESS to tap into ISTE’s more than 100,000 education stakeholders throughout the world, while enabling the US non-profit to establish its presence and engaged education decision-makers in the Middle East.

“The Gulf has a dynamic education sector, with a growing appetite for technology products and solutions. Our participation at GESS is important as it allows us to interact directly with education leaders who are pushing the technology agenda in the education sector throughout the region,” said Brian Lewis, CEO, ISTE and a featured speaker who will discuss Innovative Professional Learning for Connected Learning during Day One of the Global Education Forum (GEF) being hosted by GESS.

GESS and GEF are free to attend, and provide a platform for educationalists across the Middle East to meet and discuss a range of topics about education and its future. Information on participation and the over 300 companies offering the latest solutions and supplies for the education sector in the GCC is available at www.gesseducation.com.