When it comes to innovation, events can be a great source of inspiration. Not only do they expose attendees to incredible knowledge, they’re also a chance to for people to meet and network with others who are as excited about innovation as they are.
With the year kicking off, we thought it would be an ideal time to help you map out some of the UAE’s must-attend innovation events.
Inspiring Innovation
Hosted by the EBTIC Innovation Club, Inspiring Innovation is a startup-focused event. It will feature a series of speakers from across the region talking about how they built successful businesses by following their passions.
They’ll also explore their motivations, journeys, and challenges.
If you’re thinking of embarking on your own entrepreneurial journey, this is definitely an event you should look at attending.
Date: 22 January
Location: Khalifa University
Startup Battle Dubai 2018
Startup Battle Dubai aims to showcase the region’s top startups and budding entrepreneurs.
Ten finalists, the organisers say, will have the opportunity to pitch locally to a jury of Dubai’s leading investors and digital professionals, and three winners will be chosen to compete regionally.
The three winners will head to ArabNet Digital Summit where they will take part in the Startup Championship for a chance at winning US$20 000.
Date: 30-31 January
Location: In5 Media Innovation Centre
Innoway Corporate Innovation Workshop
Presented by the Innoway team, this workshop will cover the following aspects:
- What is (and what is not) innovation
- Introduction to “The Corporate Startup” book – how organizations are innovating like startups, facilitated by Dan Toma (see document attached).
- The UAE innovation landscape: who is who, and what is happening.
- UnConference: dynamic discussions in groups on the most challenging topics selected by the audience and facilitated by Innoway.
Date: 5 February
Location: in5, Dubai Internet City
Innoway Corporate Innovation Workshop
Presented by the Innoway team, this workshop will cover the following aspects:
- What is (and what is not) innovation
- Introduction to “The Corporate Startup” book – how organizations are innovating like startups, facilitated by Dan Toma (see document attached).
- The UAE innovation landscape: who is who, and what is happening.
- UnConference: dynamic discussions in groups on the most challenging topics selected by the audience and facilitated by Innoway.
Date: 7 February
Location: ADNEC Innovation Lab
Dubai International Innovation Show
The Dubai International Innovation Show is part of the World Innovation Convention series, which organises events around the globe.
Riding on the wave of innovation currently sweeping through the UAE, the conference will include a host of leading international speakers.
Attendees will also be given time to collaborate with each other, with the aim of sparking new innovative products.
Date: 7-8 February
Location: Amity University Dubai
World Government Summit
The World Government Summit aims to set the agenda for the next generation of governments with a focus on how they can harness innovation and technology to solve universal challenges facing humanity.
The invitation-only event bills itself as a knowledge exchange platform at the intersection between government, futurism, technology and innovation.
Date: 11-13 February
Location: TBC
Arab Innovation
Billing itself as the “largest gathering of innovations and innovators in the MENA region”, Arab Innovation brings together exhibitors, startups and attendees, showcasing the most advanced innovative services and technologies.
Alongside an innovation expo, the event features a summit, startup showcase and awards show.
Date: 26-28 February
Location: Dubai World Trade Centre
World Blockchain & Token Summit 2018
One technological arena seeing plenty of innovation at the moment is Blockchain. The World Blockchain & Token Summit 2018 promises to be a massive celebration of this innovation.
The event will bring together a diverse range of local and international speakers to discuss blockchain and cryptocurrency use cases, the regulatory environment, technology hurdles and opportunities in innovation and disruption that can be leveraged using this technology.
Date: 4-5 March
Location: TBC
Innovation Arabia
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and President of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), this year’s Innovation Arabia will explore the potential of the Arab nations to accelerate the pace of socio-economic growth and development.
The theme for this year’s conference is: “Innovate, Disrupt and Transform”. As well as being relevant to all industries, the theme addressed the growing need for sustainability in the Arab World through innovative ideas anchored in innovation and entrepreneurship.
Date: 11-13 March
Location: Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre
STEP Conference</h3.
STEP started out five years ago as a series of workshops and small gatherings. Since then, it’s grown exponentially, so much so that if feels comfortable labelling itself “the largest tech experiential festival in the Middle East”.
The event actually comprises four conferences, bringing together more than 250 startups and 6000+ attendees.
Date: 28-29 March
Location: Dubai Internet City
SME World Summit
When it comes to innovation, SMEs are often at the forefront. They’re usually far more nimble than their bigger rivals, and able to take risks and experiment.
Hosted by The Intelligent SME magazine, SME World Summit is an annual gathering of start-up owners, business leaders, investors, government figures, banking professionals and subject-matter experts to discuss pressing issues, opportunities and challenges within the SME environment.
Date: 4 April
Location: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
Global Innovation Summit
Global Innovation Summit is the biggest innovation conference in the region attracting over 2000 high profile delegates consisting of Entrepreneurs, CXO’s, Tech gurus and Govt. Dignitaries. It has successfully completed 5 editions since it’s inception in 2013 and has so far attracted over 10,000 delegates.
Date: 19 September
Location: Jumeirah Beach Hotel
