Mark your diaries

The passing of IBC marks the end of this year’s major international broadcast shows and the beginning of a run of events in the Middle East that will culminate with CABSAT 2010.

This month, all eyes fall on Dubai for the epic GITEX Technology Week. Of particular interest to broadcasters will be the GULFCOMMS stream which offers a platform for talking to satellite service operators and related manufacturers.

There are at least five major events in the UAE this November. The Media and Marketing show is up first with a focus on advertising and related technologies. The MEA edition of the IPTV World Forum and its sister event Mobile TV Middle East will look to bring telcos and the broadcast industry together as it has previously. The main difference this year, compared to previous editions, is that both platforms now have substantial roll-outs in the region. The 2009 outing should offer focused conference sessions, regional case studies and immediate business opportunities now that the relative merits of each platform have been proven. Hot on the heels of the IPTV show are the two debutant Abu Dhabi shows, Middle East Broadcast Solutions, with a technology focus and Middle East TV, the region’s first content marketplace.

In 2010, a number of manufacturers have pledged to stage product roadshows in the region.

We have already witnessed this trend with Harris and Sony organising events in the Gulf. Representatives of several vendors, including Snell and Grass Valley, revealed at IBC that they would follow suit next year.

The combination of these should create a good springboard into 2010 and result in a better connected, more engaged and ultimately revitalised broadcast industry in the Middle East.

John Parnell is the deputy editor of Digital Broadcast.

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