Metavision event to highlight Dubai Metaverse Strategy

Experts will delve into the world of metaverse as Khaleej Times hosts Metavision in Dubai on September 21. The one-day event, which is being held under the endorsement of the UAE Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, will see thought leadership speeches, interactive sessions, panel discussions, AR/VR Installations and more.

It will bring together government officials, thought leaders and influencers, policymakers, private sector companies and startups, investors and enthusiasts.

The event being held at the Habtoor Palace Hotel will also see the Khaleej Times' metaverse launch.

The digital world as we know it is being reshaped and it is more important than ever for businesses to reimagine their presence online.

The innovation hub of the world, Dubai, is making some serious inroads into the metaverse. A strategy announced by Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum recently aims to put the emirate among the world’s top 10 metaverse economies and make it a global hub for the metaverse community. The Dubai Metaverse Strategy aims to build on the emirate’s achievement of attracting more than 1,000 companies in the fields of blockchain and metaverse. The metaverse will support 40,000 virtual jobs and add $4 billion to Dubai's economy in five years, according to Sheikh Hamdan.

Khaleej Times’ Metavision event will highlight the Dubai Metaverse Strategy, future of the metaverse, investments and technology, and ecosystem development. It will also take a deep dive into government and policy regulations.

Top experts at the event include Musab Obaid AlHammadi, project manager at the AI Office under the Prime Minister’s Office – Research and Infrastructure Section; Dr Marwan Al Zarouni, chief executive officer, Dubai Blockchain Centre; Leila Hurstel, chief metaverse officer, VerseEstate; Sebastien Borget, co-founder, Sandbox Metaverse Platform; and Ramana Kumar, CEO, Magnati, among others.

They will discuss everything from cryptocurrency to non-fungible tokens (NFTs), experiential commerce, how governments should prepare for the metaverse, and blending of the physical and digital worlds.

Other topics include gaming in the metaverse, buying virtual lands, virtual reality in healthcare, and how Web 3.0 is redefining the retail industry.

Lead sponsor for the event is Galadari Brothers; while strategic partners include Redington and Magnati. Networking partner is Kalandoor Group and ecosystem partner, Crypto Oasis. The event is supported by the Dubai Blockchain Centre.

Redington Gulf to participate

Redington Gulf, a leading digital distributor in the Middle East and Africa, is a big name at Metavision 2022.

The distributor is driving the charge to support partners and customers to accelerate their digital transformation objectives and fast-track their businesses into the future. This includes enabling its ecosystem to realize the infinite advantages of the metaverse, the next big opportunity that blends our physical reality with augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR).

Redington Value’s president Sayantan Dev said: “At Redington we understand that today the speed with which innovation takes place is phenomenal, however adoption rates don’t match the same pace. Our aim is to address this gap – what we call technology friction – and eliminate it globally by bringing digital innovation, disruptive technologies and world-class consulting and professional services closer to our partners and customers.

“As the distributor of Microsoft HoloLens 2 for the Gulf region, our ecosystem can leverage the strengths of our 15 plus years experience. Supporting and participating at Khaleej Times’ Metavision 2022 event shows our commitment to digital innovation and to the fact that metaverse is swiftly moving away from being a buzzword. We look forward to designing unique and end-to-end solutions with Microsoft HoloLens 2.”

Redington also boasts a robust Independent Software Vendor (ISV) ecosystem. Over the years, the distributor has undergone a great evolution. From being an ‘aggregator’ for innovative solutions and services, it became a 'catalyst' for partners to empower customers' digital drives.

• Dubai