Systems Integration Asia — February-March 2018

EXHIBITION REVIEW

The 2017 edition of InfoComm Middle East and Africa organized
at the Dubai World Trade Centre in the rst week of December last
was a sort of both cryptic and clear in that it offered reasons for
what it was as well as added to ambiguity as well.

The event had moved to a much comforting venue with the Main
Hall of WTC from a far-off extension it had in 2016. It was taken
to be a very congenial time of the year with very pleasant weather,
'free-from-maddening-crowds' events' and an encouraging sign-
off before the Year-End Holiday.

A few unforeseen developments, and the impact appeared to be
telling. UAE's National Holiday happening just before the event
dates; a very uncomfortable market uncertainty owing to the
suddenly changed political equations in the region; an undened
urgency of nancial closures and project completions before the
Year-End appeared to have a spiralling effect altering the dynamic
of the industry- resulting in a lower turn out of what was taken
with a great anticipation.

IFMEA Holds on to

Reality (S)takes

The seventh edion of InfoComm Middle East & Africa
(IFMEA 2017) – its second independent oung – organized

at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 5-7 December, so to

say, has had many reality stakes. Fesval/Naonal Holiday

season; year-end financial closures and project compleon

compulsions; independent standing – not to speak of the

regional polical equaons – seemingly impacng the
event in their own right, the industry fraternity and the

organizing body appeared to have taken it in their stride

towards more reality (s)takes. There were indeed some

posives though.

For the Show Stakes, it had AR & VR, LEDs and digital

signage applicaons as dominant signs while bringing

some path-breaking soluons to the floor. An SIA account:

On the other hand though, the event did have its positives. “It is

okay, given the typical conditioning of the event,” was the generic

sentiment on the oor.

“IFMEA has mostly been like this only; we do not

want or expect Gitex genre of consumer

crowds,” opined Philippe Vitali, Marketing and

Communication Director at Analog Way. “We

come here to reconnect with our network;

sometimes it is better, sometimes, it is not that

good.”

“It could have been better,” felt Ron Schouwenburg, Mitsubishi

Electric's Trade Show & Event Manager-EMEA. For him, they didn't

expect huge footfalls, but it could have been better from what it

was the previous year. That the 2016 edition raised some great

hopes – owing to the quality visitors and focussed interactions,

the sentiment was pretty upbeat for the 2017 outing.

For Kazuhiro Yamamoto, Chief Global Strategist

at Japanese digital processing/signage solutions

major Asukanet, the event was good in that they

got exposed to the Middle East markets they had

been wanting for some time. “We found visitors

getting impressed by our solutions; we hope we

will make a headway,” he said. “We had some

encouraging enquiries.”

So was it for Unilumin's Vice-President-EMEA

Steve Scorse who wanted to expand and establish

the Chines LED solutions major in the ME markets.

“It is one right platform to come here,” he

maintains. “So far so good.”

By Ram Bhavanashi