QITCOM 2019 takes place in Doha

1 November 2019

The Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) took place at the Qatar National Convention Centre, hosted by the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC).

Providing a platform for digital partnerships among global stakeholders, QITCOM 2019 gathered the world’s brightest minds in smart technology and start-ups.

During this year’s QITCOM event, MoTC also partnered with Fira Barcelona to host the Smart City Expo Doha 2019 on 30-31 October.

The expo featured over 90 speakers, 300 technology exhibitors, 100 start-ups and 300 innovators and entrepreneurs to share ideas, discussing innovative and technological solutions to the current challenges faced by cities.

The following specialists took part in the event and spoke on the issues facing our cities and how we can use technology to revolutionise urban areas:

  • Ms Reem Al Mansoori – Assistant Undersecretary for Digital Society Development at the Ministry of Transport and Communications
  • Mr Yousuf Al-Jaida – CEO of the Qatar Financial Centre
  • Dr Esmat Zaidan – Assistant Professor of Policy, Planning and Development at Qatar University
  • Dr Seong-Ik Oh – Director of Real Estate Development Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of South Korea
  • Mr Lorenzo Madrid – Vice President of Global Business Development at Wellness Telecom
  • Mr Samir Pawaskar – Head CS Policy & Standards at the Ministry of Transport and Communications

In addition to hearing from smart cities experts, conference participants took part in the Entrepreneurship Zone, which consisted of five main platforms allowing entrepreneurs, investors and innovators to learn from the best.

This year’s Business-to Business Matchmaking programme at QITCOM brought together more than 500 major companies, government agencies, SMEs, entrepreneurs, technology providers and potential investors. Through this QITCOM event, start-ups and businesses developed relationships with new business partners, investors and governmental entities.

His Excellency Mr Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, Minister of Transport and Communications, discussed the importance of technology and its integration into Qatar’s urban planning.

During the conference, His Excellency stated, “Qatar has already started to achieve tangible positive results at various levels due to the use of smart technologies. These technologies have advanced Qatar’s traffic flow and the development of the health care and education sectors, which ranked first in the Arab world and fifth globally.”