The startup scene in the region is getting more dense and dynamic year after year. There are endless new opportunities and platforms that support and benefit from the ever-changing and evolving startup scene in the Arab World.
In line with this boom, a lot of summits and conferences started taking place annually in the most important startup hubs in the Arab World. These events are very beneficial to their fields, offering an opportunity for people to network, gain knowledge, and listen to some local and international professionals in those fields.
Here are some of the most important summits and events in the Arab World that you need to keep on your radar.
SME World Summit
The SME World Summit Dubai has established itself as one of the top entrepreneurship conferences in the Arab World. It was founded back in 2013 and has been getting bigger ever since. The 2019 edition took place on March at the Ritz Carlton, DIFC.
STEP Conference
STEP is one of the biggest tech festivals in the region. It takes place in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It started out as a series of workshops and small gatherings, but over eight years, it took the shape we know today. The first edition of Step Saudi took place in 2019, and they’re coming back in 2020.
Seamless Middle East
Seamless Middle East is arguably the biggest annual e-commerce event in the region. The event contributes to shaping the future of payments, fintech, e-commerce, and retail. The next edition will take place on the 25th and 26th of March 2020.
Creative Industry Summit
The Creative Industry Summit is Egypt’s first hub for the creative ecosystem. The summit launched back in 2014 and has been leading the region’s creative scene ever since. The summit is expected to have an edition in Beirut.
Saudi Emerging Technologies Forum
This is a one of a kind event that focuses on different fields related to the digital economy; like data science, cybersecurity, cloudification, blockchain, AR/VR, robotics, deep learning, and machine learning. The event is important to learn to harness the full potential of emerging technologies and how it will aid human-operated work.
Digital Marketing Masterclass
The Digital Marketing Masterclass is a must-attend half-day event for all the workers in the DM field in Dubai. The event will take place on the 12th of September at Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort. The masterclass will show senior management from B2C brands and how they can deploy the latest digital marketing tools and techniques to generate new business and retain loyal customers across all customer touchpoints.
Social Media Day
The Social Media Day Summit in Egypt is the region’s largest gathering for digital media professionals. It brings together thousands of online communications specialists, marketing and advertising agencies, freelancers, and entrepreneurs in a multi-day event full of informative talks, panel discussions, and social media case studies.