UAE - Mubasher: The leading technological festival of emerging markets, STEP Conference, will launch its ninth edition on 11 February 2020 under the theme of ‘the World in Dubai’.

The two-day conference will run in collaboration with the Dubai Internet City (DIC) and the Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism), said a press release on Sunday.  

STEP 2020 will tackle the latest topics and trends across various main industries with an anticipated participation of more than 8,000 international attendees, 300 showcasing startups along with influential entrepreneurs and top speakers from all over the world, specifically from emerging markets across Asia and Africa.   

Programming will reflect a world scope on technology in emerging markets in 2020, showcasing the most recent innovations and highlighting the opportunities in the ecosystem.

The World in Dubai will take place at DIC with a format of four main conference verticals namely, STEP Start, STEP Digital, STEP X, and STEP Money.  

Commenting on the kick off, CEO of STEP, Ray Dargham, said, “As we enter a new era for STEP next year, in line with Expo 2020 and Vision 2021, we plan to attract entrepreneurs, startups, and tech companies that could potentially expand to Dubai and impact our business and talent landscape.”

Moreover, the managing director of DIC, Ammar Al Malik, added, “As a comprehensive tech community, we aim to bring state-of-the-art initiatives and strategies to build the next generation of start-ups. As our ecosystem develops, we look forward to seeing more local success stories coming out of our communities and graduating with global recognition.”

Meanwhile, the CEO of Dubai Tourism, Issam Kazim, concluded, “STEP offers the ideal platform for entrepreneurs and start-ups to bring forward the latest technologies and innovations and will cement the emirate’s position as a leading technology hub for start-ups looking to progress and succeed in their fields.”