Connections make the world go around and so it was good to see Za’abeel Halls 4, 5 and 6 at the Dubai World Trade Centre full with people in the flesh for the three-day GESS Conference in the UAE.
There were delegations from all around the world including Saudi Arabia, Korea and Germany and I was proud to be a part of the British Educational Suppliers Association (BESA) area in Hall 6.
Technology Solutions
The exhibitors there featured technology and solutions from a raft of companies that supply the myriad of international schools here in the UAE and across the Middle East.
Around the vast halls were stands, activity and a busy schedule of talks and showcases, which I was a part of, working for Juniper, who are one of my clients with GEST.
Juniper provide a unique combination of education technology and specialist expertise right across the board for primary schools, secondary schools and Multi Academy Trusts.
They provide solutions for over 12,000 schools and pride themselves on a level of problem solving and support which has, quite rightly, seen the company build up an enviable reputation in the industry.
Juniper Services
So, it was an easy job for me to highlight the wide variety of solutions and software they provide when I took to the stage in the BESA area to give a 20-minute presentation on the stand.
The following day, those 20 minutes were down to just three when I also took part in a ’speed dating’-type event with my fellow exhibitors, again to present Juniper services. Those services also cover HR and staff development, finance and payroll, curriculum and assessment and parental engagement so, as you can imagine, getting that all into three minutes was a serious challenge – and good fun too!
The Juniper stand I was based at for the three days was great and I really enjoyed chatting to guests and delegates there – all around the hall – to fully explain Juniper’s offering.
Colleagues with other companies around me were also busy, along with my other clients who also exhibiting, which was good to see.
Speaking to some of them during the day, and at night over a drink, they were pleased that they could both speak to, and engage, delegates about their services and products face-to-face once again, away from the Zoom-type technology that has become a necessity in the sector over the past 18 months.
World Trade Centre
It really is good to connect and hopefully, GESS Dubai at the World Trade Centre will the first of many live conferences to come over the coming months.
Perhaps BETT in January will be one of those?
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