Sponsored: The world’s biggest tech and startup week returns with Expand North Star, new ideas, and a serious networking upgrade

Clear your calendar: GITEX GLOBAL is back at Dubai World Trade Centre from October 13 to 17, and the annual tech takeover is set to be bigger, faster, and a lot more useful for anyone chasing what’s next. Think exhibition halls buzzing with AI demos, smart city sandboxes, future-of-finance showcases and a who’s-who of founders, engineers, investors and policymakers swapping ideas at speed.

Running alongside the main show is Expand North Star, taking place at Dubai Harbour from October 12 to 15. It’s the startup summit that turns pitch decks into real conversations. This is where you meet the people behind the logos: early-stage teams hunting for product-market fit, scale-ups looking for smart money, and VCs scanning the floor for the next breakout. Expect themed stages, rapid-fire founder talks, investor roundtables, and a steady hum of “we should talk” moments spilling out into the concourses.

If you are an operator at heart, go with intent. Pick a vertical, AI, healthtech, fintech, sustainable mobility, cybersecurity, and build your day around the stages and stands that matter to you. The fun of GITEX is in the collisions: a robotics demo that solves a problem you didn’t know you had, a climate tech pilot that makes your ops cleaner, a payment solution you can deploy before year-end. Pack questions, comfy shoes and a handful of tangible goals; you will leave with a notebook full of next steps.

First-timers, here’s the play. Arrive early, start with a quick lap to map the halls, and save time for the startup zones at Expand North Star. Break up the day with a couple of short talks rather than camping on one stage, and book meetings between sessions so your new contacts stick.

Passes and programme details are available now on Gitex.com.

If your team needs a single week to see where the future is heading, and who’s building it, this is the one.