Step Conference – The Middle East’s Most Anticipated Tech Event Is One Week Away

If you haven’t heard of Step Conference before, then you’ve either been trapped on a desert island, or had your head buried in the sand!

Step Conference is the hottest event in the Middle Eastern tech scene, and it’s just around the corner on February 13 & 14 in Dubai. Much more than just a conference, over the past 7 years Step Conference has grown exponentially, evolving into a complete experiential tech festival. Step Conference is broken down into four sub-categories: Step Start, Step Money, Step Digital, and Step X. Each has its own theme, exciting range of notable speakers, satellite events, and more. Let’s take a closer look at each.

Step Start

Whether you’re a startup founder looking for guidance, or a battle-tested VC searching for the next big thing, Step Start is where you want to be. The team at Step has developed Step Start to be the perfect connection point for startups, entrepreneurs, and investors. There’s a Mentor’s Corner, Pitch Competition, and a variety of informative panels and inspirational speakers that you don’t want to miss!

Must-See Speaker: Set a reminder in your schedule to make sure you see Rami Salman, the VP of Growth at Voicea. Rami started his first company at age 13, and currently splits his time between Silicon Valley and Dubai. Rami is a fascinating speaker that is “currently on a quest to destroy inefficiency around the world.”

Step Digital

Step Digital is built around the latest global trends in advertising tech, content, branding, and digital marketing. Most marketing conferences have impressive-sounding speakers that tell great stories, but offer little in the way of useful information. Featuring CMOs, digital pros, and influencers, Step Digital is a platform for speakers to provide you with actionable marketing insights. We all know that a big part of the marketing world is based on relationships. That’s why Step Digital provides a variety of networking opportunities to make new connections and reinforce established industry partnerships.

Must-See Speaker: Asad Rehman is the Director of Media & Digital Transformation at global giant Unilever. With over 15 years in the marketing space, he’s seen it all and done it all, and trust me, you’ll want to hear his war stories!

Step Money

Step Money gathers together innovative payment processors, banks, fintech visionaries, and global regulation experts. They’ll be strategizing and pouring over financial hot topics like blockchain technology, digital currencies, and telling you about what’s next on the horizon for startup funding and venture capital.

Must-See Speaker: Financial-world visionary Sirine Faddoul recently received the honor of Mentor of the Year from Arabian Business Magazine. In addition to leading fintech strategy for Visa, Sirine is dedicated to nurturing the next generation of financial-world superstars. That means you!

Step X

Ever wish you could look into a crystal ball and see the future? That’s exactly what you’ll get at Step X! Featuring the latest in IoT, automation, smart cities, AI, and robotics, participants will be discussing, planning, and predicting what the world will look like in 2050. Startups with an eye on the horizon need to attend Step X!

Must-See Speaker: A global thought leader in the smart cities sector, when Sumit Chowdhury speaks, people listen. That’s why he’s represented by The Outstanding Speakers Bureau (alongside speaking – circuit heavyweights like actress Priyanka Chopra and marketing pro Simon Sinek) and presents regularly at TED conferences. If you want to hear more about the cities of the future, and how your startup can participate in building them, make sure to listen to Sumit’s talk.

Whether you’re looking for funding for your startup, inspiration in your career, or are just interested in new technologies in general, you do not want to miss Step Conference! There’s no way to see everything in just two days, so we strongly recommend coming up with a plan ahead of time.

I’ll personally be there with the team, so feel free to come say hello!

Bonus: Don’t miss Dinner with Astrolabs on February 13 at 7:00pm @ Jumeirah Lakes Towers. If you’re thinking about taking your business to Dubai, then Astrolabs can serve as the perfect entry point.