Sharjah, January 28, 2020: The IES 2020 concluded on January 24, has achieved outstanding record numbers in the largest edition ever since its launch.

In this respect, the Expo Centre Sharjah announced that the 16th edition visitors surpassed 25,000, a growth of 8% compared to the previous edition which was visited by 23,000.

Additionally, more than 8300 students from 201 schools visited the show over the course of three days. 

This year’s edition was the largest in terms of the numbers of exhibitors which reached 132 educational and academic institutions from 20 countries around the world, an increase of 32% over the previous edition, as well as the outstanding participation of 70 UAE universities and colleges. 

Resounding success
HE Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO of Expo Centre Sharjah, expressed his happiness over the resounding success achieved by the show on all levels, especially in terms of the number of  “This year’s edition has attracted a record number of visitors and exhibitors, which reflects its growing importance being a major platform to showcase pioneering educational services and help parents and students choose the best specialties and opportunities that qualify them for the labor market,” Al Midfa said.

He added: “Hosting this exhibition comes in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member, and Ruler of Sharjah, who strongly believes that education is the backbone of nations’ development and progress, and the fundamental factor behind the global competition. It also highlights the vision of the Emirate that relies on education to lead the process of social and economic development”.

Al Midfa stressed that Expo Centre Sharjah is keen to provide the best services and facilities that ensure high quality events are delivered successfully according to the finest specifications, and achieve the aspirations of all exhibitors. This is in line with the centre's strategy aimed at upgrading the exhibition industry, developing and enhancing its competitiveness”.

Underlining the IES’s Leading Status
Sultan Shattaf, Director, Sales and Marketing, Expo Centre Sharjah, said: “The 16th edition of the IES was focusing on exploring education future, by attracting the world’s major educational technology companies and highlighting the mechanisms for introducing artificial intelligence technologies into the educational process.”

This is in addition to the exclusive events and paving the way for students and researchers to find out scholarships and support programs provided by government institutions, as well as the symposiums and mentorship workshops held on the sidelines of the IES 2020.

“All of these activities have greatly contributed to the success of the event and led to achieve new qualitative accomplishments, in addition to strengthening the IES’s position and reputation as one of the most important higher education events regionally and globally,”

The Expo Centre is keen to develop the activities of this annual event, in order to enhance Sharjah’s position as a perfect environment for the academic and research settings, as well as to invest in knowledge economy based on productivity, innovation, and sustainability, Shattaf concluded.

The IES 2020 was organized by Expo Centre Sharjah with the support of the Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, UAE Ministry of Education and the Sharjah Private Education Authority.
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