GITEX, the largest tech event in MENA (Middle East and North Africa), was held in Dubai, UAE from the 6th to the 10th.
As a member of the “GITEX Future Stars” Japan Pavilion, we exhibited at the event from the 6th to the 9th.
This is one of the few global tech events held at a real venue, while major events around the world are going online one after another due to COVID-19.

At this year’s Japan Pavilion, both QR Codes and XPAND Codes were used together as a linking tool for the entire pavilion.
Please watch the video introduction of the Japan Pavilion by the organizeer.

In the Japan Pavilion, a “hybrid exhibit” was attempted, where the booth was actually set up and also connected to Japan online.
We also participated in the event by having the Japan Pavilion team provide on-site explanations, while providing Zoom support from Tokyo if customers requested it.
This was a great way to get the best of both worlds: the chance encounters of a real exhibition and the efficiency and low cost of an online exhibition.
We believe that even in the post COVID-19 society, it will be an effective way to expand overseas marketing opportunities, especially for start-ups and small companies.

Now, here are some photos of the Japan Pavilion.
In a real exhibition, it is effective to use the XPAND Code to read and download documents from a distance.
However, the XPAND Code in the photo can also be read, so you can continue to use it as a record with a link even after the exhibition is over.
You can use this QR code to launch the XPAND Code Reader, so please try reading the photos.
*For iPhones with iOS13 or lower and some Android devices, you need to install the app.

The overall layout of the Japan Pavilion looks like this.

The XPAND Code on the reception counter can be read from 20 to 30 meters away at the site, and the XPAND Code in this photo can also be read.
You can download the leaflet of the Japan Pavilion, so please try it.

Next is the booth of each exhibitor.
If you read the XPAND Code under the company name plates, you will be taken to each company’s website.

And here is our booth.
If you read the XPAND Code, a special page for GITEX will be displayed.

For this exhibition, we collaborated with the web AR “LIQUID AR“.
When you select AR from the special page, this giant appears.

We have had the idea of linking XPAND Codes with AR for a long time, and finally realized it with the cooperation of Liquid Design, who was also an exhibitor at the recent Digital Content Expo.
In the future, we will continue to plan and propose AR contents using the XPAND Code as a starting point.

The back side of the booth looks like this.
The black one is the XPAND Code RTL version, which is being shown for the first time.

This is a version with the design reversed to harmonize with languages written from right to left, such as Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Hebrew.
It is not yet supported for automatic generation by the XPAND Code Generator, but we are starting to provide it individually as needed.

We will be discussing with visitors to our booth about specific projects in the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
And we would like to participate in GITEX again next year if we have a chance!