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The birth of a brand
The red and white GETEX (Gulf Education & Training Exhibition) logo has become an inescapable part of the education and learning process in the Middle East. A brand that is seen as synonymous with education now incorporates exhibitions, seminars, workshops and conferences with a focus on student recruitment, education equipment and technology, training and careers– all encompassed by an identity that first saw life in 1984.
Back then, GETEX came into being as the Gulf Education & Training Exhibition in Dubai. The event focused on bringing higher education options from around the world to students in the Middle East, setting up one of the very first student recruitment platforms for international and regional universities.
Since then, GETEX has grown to become the largest education fair in the Middle East and Asia. GETEX shows are currently held at three venues – Dubai in the UAE,Bahrain and Bangalore in India.
Since the 80s, education the Middle East has been fast tracked to facilitate the transition from oil driven to multi dimensional knowledge economies. As traditional pedagogical paradigms, battered and bruised by an onslaught of new enabling technological tools, gave way to more interactive models of learning, GETEX too had to evolve to keep up with new market requirements.
GETEX Equipment and Technology was born out of a market need to keep abreast of the latest developments in learning delivery tools. The expo served as a meeting point for investors and buyers to parley with equipment and service providers.The Middle East had started its march towards large scale technology introduction, and the cognoscenti of pedagogy were lining up to separate the wheat from the chaff at GETEX.
The proliferation of the GETEX brand
GETEX has not only grown organically to cater to new market requirements, but has also spread geographically, with successful outings to regional and international destinations. Though the overall remit of the GETEX brand remains synonymous with education progression, each GETEX show is tailored to suit its geographical market.
GETEX’s hometown show in Dubai
GETEX in Bahrain
Bahrain was a successful outing for the GETEX brand. The
country, looking to establish itself as an outpost for
financial activity, is revamping its educational
infrastructure. GETEX Bahrain introduced approximately
50 exhibitors to 3,600 visitors, with a primary focus on
student recruitment and study options.
In the UAE, GETEX is hosted under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahayan Bin Mubarak Al Nahayan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The event is supported by Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), Dubai International Academic City (DIAC), Knowledge & Human Development Authority (KHDA) and all the universities affiliated with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research-including the Higher Colleges of Technology, UAE University and Zayed University. Also supporting GETEX is a host of international agencies and associations including the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) – USA, the British Council, Agence EduFrance, Canadian Consulate, OSEC Business Network - Switzerland, the Italian Embassy, the German Academic Exchange Service, Enterprise Ireland and the South African Embassy.
Passage to India with GETIT
Lawrence’s India is no more. The new India, fast tracking
its progress to global powerhouse is a massive engine
churning out graduates into the world market.
Nevertheless, the uptake of didactic technology in the
country remains patchy, and inequality across technical,
digital and literacy lines remains an issue. The Indian
education system is often seen working miracles on limited
budgets, innovatively implementing technological aids to
further education delivery.
To support the process of bringing together buyer and supplier to facilitate this serendipitous process of didactical technology, the GETEX brand moved to India, assuming the contextual moniker of GETIT- – the Global Education, Training and Information Technology Exhibition and Conference.
Though the GETEX brand travels the region and beyond, its largest iteration is at its birthplace in Dubai, UAE. GETEX 2007, the 19th episode of the event in Dubai, was supported by 520 exhibitors from 38 countries. Their displays covered an area of approximately 15,000 square metres and attracted an audience of 30,000 plus visitors including teachers, academics, working professionals and graduate students.
GETEX Careers – an organic progression from education
GETEX Careers 2008 is simply an organic evolution of GETEX’s remit. Innovation in education leads to better career choices, and a platform adept at offering the former has a duty to cater to the latter.GETEX Careers and training is a sequel to GETEX’s student recruitment, and picks up where the former leaves off.
Having availed themselves of educational options through GETEX’s student recruitment platform, graduates return to GETEX Careers to identify career options. Of course, Careers isn’t just for the fresh graduates. Representing a large spectrum of industry sectors and multi tier positions, GETEX Careers 2008 is a one stop shop for professionals looking for that next step up the career ladder.A number of vocational and training courses will ensure that taking that step is just that much easier.
GETEX – Synonymous with Innovation in Education
In the 20 years of its existence, GETEX has evolved from a student recruitment show to a complete networking forum for the education industry. The GETEX brand is involved with, and actively facilitates, a number of education related activities including student recruitment, professional placement, didactic technology introduction, and training. Academic alliances, cultural expression and new ideas all find a place in a brand name that is synonymous with education. The GETEX brand also hosts successful discussion forums, workshops, seminars and conferences that bring together expert knowledge with new ideas to generate new schema, paradigms and networks in education.
