IDC Directions 2020, the seminal ICT industry event for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa (META), takes place at Dubai’s iconic Atlantis, The Palm on Thursday, January 23. Hosted by International Data Corporation (IDC), the event will bring together the region’s most influential technology vendors, telecommunications operators, and IT service providers, delivering expert guidance on the challenges and opportunities that lie in wait as the digital economy enters a new phase of evolution.
“Over the past five years, IDC has documented the rise of the digital economy and advised organizations on their digital transformation strategies,” says Meredith Whalen, IDC’s chief research officer, who will be delivering the event’s keynote speech. “Today, the digital economy is at a critical tipping point. In just a few short years, IDC forecasts that nearly half of all GDP worldwide will come from products and services offered by digitally transformed organizations. As such, technology suppliers must transform their approach in order to meet the new buying requirements of their digital customers and connect technology to the business goals of a new digital-inspired CEO agenda.”
Running under the theme ‘Multiplied Innovation Goes Mainstream: Thriving in the Digital Economy’, IDC Directions 2020 will see prominent IDC thought leaders share their latest forecasts and predictions for the region’s technology markets as they contextualize the impact of global trends on the local environment. Offering a unique opportunity to interact with IDC’s industry-leading global and local analysts, the event will provide senior ICT industry executives with in-depth analysis of the latest trends and developments shaping individual country markets, helping them to identify the key sectors, segments, and geographies to target.
“With greater clarity about what the future enterprise will look like and what will be required to compete in redefined industries, organizations are rethinking their digital transformation strategies, says Jyoti Lalchandani, IDC’s group vice president and regional managing director for the Middle East, Turkey, and Africa. “As such, they are increasingly pivoting away from digital for the sake of innovation to digital for the sake of the business. There is now a focus on applying digital technologies to address the future of work, customer engagement, intelligence, operations, and leadership. Digital presents a multibillion-dollar tech opportunity for suppliers, but a new playbook is required that is focused on creating business value, scaling digital innovation, and embracing future of work.”
The event’s agenda will examine the evolving priorities of C-suite executives across the META region, while dedicated sessions will explore the emerging opportunities that exist in key markets such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Africa. These will be complemented by a wide choice of individual technology-focused tracks covering areas such as 5G, IoT, AI, cloud, Smart Cities, hyperconverged systems, software-defined infrastructure, automation, security, managed services, digital document solutions, mobile phones, PCs, and wearables.
With the issues around digital transformation featuring so prominently on the agenda, IDC is delighted to welcome Dubai Internet City on board as the Strategic Partner for IDC Directions 2020. “Digital transformation remains at the forefront of economic growth and development in the UAE and the wider region,” says Ammar Al Malik, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City. “As innovative technologies continue to impact the way we live and work, IDC Directions has become the perfect forum to discover the latest ICT industry trends as well as gain insight into growth opportunities in the industry. We are pleased to support the 2020 edition and are keen to discuss what the future looks like.”
