Evolving demands of over 1.5M students in the GCC region to be addressed at the 15th Edition of GESS Dubai

GESS (Global Educational Supplies and Solutions) Dubai, organised by Tarsus in partnership with the Ministry of Education, is set to deliver its 15th edition from November 15 to 17, 2022 at Sheikh Saeed Halls, Dubai World Trade Centre. As the biggest education exhibition in the Middle East region with an extensive conference programme and an awards ceremony, GESS Dubai is poised to attract more than 6,000 educational professionals from over 70 countries, and more than 250 leading educational brands showcasing the latest and most innovative products and solutions in the market and bringing thought-leaders sparking new ideas and challenging the way stakeholders look at the future of education. 

A critical point to be addressed in the 2022 edition of GESS Dubai is the growing and evolving demands of the 1.5 million students in the GCC as per ISC Research, the leading producer of independent data, trends, and intelligence on the global English-medium international schools’ market. “There’s been a 4.7% increase in the number of students in the region from July 2017 to July 2022 and research tells us that this is a key area of growth in the coming years. A vital aspect of the show is to find ways to serve this sector better by providing networking platforms with key decision-makers, opportunities to learn best practices from around the world, and access to the most up-to-date technology and solutions to enhance current learning environments,” said Sarah Palmer, Brand Director, Tarsus, organisers of the GESS portfolio of education exhibitions and conferences all over the world.

Among the international exhibitors expected to showcase at GESS Dubai are Microsoft, Schoolbox, OneOrigin, Soundtrap for Education by Spotify, Promethean, BenQ Amazon Web Services, Viewsonic and more. This year will also see the largest showcase of American and Canadian companies with the likes of EZ-Robot, SMART Technologies, TehnoKids Inc, Notion Wave, Scholastic Inc, Classlink, Edpuzzle, Cypher Learning, Nearpod, Piedmont Payment Services, Speechace, Van Robotics, VIRCO USA, Amplify and Compro Technologies; and an unmissable area, the Start-up Pavilion, with new companies bringing their one-on-a-kind technologies to the show.

In addition, the conference programme is broken down into conference streams that will feature world-renowned experts offering free-to-attend seminars, live case studies, workshops and panel discussions designed to help educators achieve excellence in their classrooms. Two of the world-class speakers who are presenting for the first time in the Middle East are Rob Houben, Founder of robhouben.com and Gavin McCormack, Co-Founder of Up-School. Rob Houben is an educational leader and change-maker who in 2015, got involved with Agora. With five colleagues and 60 students, they started working at this government-funded secondary school without using timetables, courses, or age groups. They began with a simple question: What do you want to make, do or learn? And whatever the answer was, they went from there. Today, there are 20 Agora schools in The Netherlands and Belgium. On the other hand, Gavin McCormack, a trained Montessori teacher, children’s author, teacher trainer, philanthropist and school principal, will be covering topics such as educating with intention, educational reform with a strong emphasis on Montessori within the home and creating a harmony between the school and home environments to reach a student’s full potential. 

In the Future Transformation Room, thought-provoking topics will include Reinventing the Learning Experience with Artificial Intelligence by Basil Ayass, Education Lead – Middle East, Turkey and Africa at Google, Preparing Students for the Metaverse by Niall Statham, Head of Innovation at Hartland Internatioanal School, Music Education: The Missing Myelination Link by Ross Garrod, Founder and CEO of Practice Pal, Integrating gaming and eSports in Education by Baz Nijjar, Principal Advisor – Education Technology at GEMS Education, Emerging Tech Integration in K12 – Why? When? How? by Sreejit Chakrabarty, Director – Artificial Intelligence & Robotics at GEMS Education, Using Chatbots in Education by Mohammed Alhohabi, Consultant at National eLearning Center

Another room that is a key interest area is the Wellbeing Room. Confirmed in the roster of speakers are Dr Waleed Ahmed, Consultant Psychiatrist at Priory Wellbeing Centre (Social Media and Mental Wellbeing), May Zalat, Head of Education of Blossom Nurseries – Babilou Middle East (Wellbeing & Inclusion in the Early Years), Rania Badreldin, Happiness Consultant, Transformational Speaker and Writer, Seasoned Social Entrepreneur, NLP and Hypnosis Master Practitioner at The Family Hub (Transforming Education Through Happiness) and Mark Samways, Director of Wellbeing at Free Spirit Collective (Alleviating Stress and Burnout in the Educational Workspace).

Other rooms that one must look forward to include The Global Learning Room, where the latest innovations, education issues and solutions are tackled; The Leaders in Education Conference, a two-day programme open to members of Leaders in Education where sessions look at the challenges and skills required to succeed in senior positions; The Skills Development Training, a fresh feature for this year’s show which will be a series of certified workshops designed for educators looking to skill up their toolset; and another new space for 2022, the Growth Mindset Room that promises to unpack benefits of learning from mistakes and change and of adapting gracefully even with setbacks. 

A highly anticipated part of the event is the celebration of the education industry’s brightest at the GESS Education Awards. Divided into two sections: one for Suppliers and Distributors and another for Teachers, Schools and Educational Professionals, the awards will be held on November 16 at The H Hotel, Dubai. 

Registration for GESS Dubai is free and can now be done online at www.gessdubai.com, giving education professionals access to all three days of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) accredited conference programmes and exhibition.