After 44 successful editions, Middle East Electricity, the region’s top trade event for the power industry, will make its grand entry next year in Dubai with a new identity - Middle East Energy 2020 - to tap into a digital future, said the organisers.

The expo will evolve into Middle East Energy in 2020 - an energetic transformation which aims to keep the region’s leading power industry event at the forefront of a rapidly-evolving sector, stated Informa Markets.

As demand for digitalised and renewable energy solutions increase across the globe, the future-focused Middle East Energy platform will debut at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from March 3 to 5, 2020, bringing together leading luminaires of the global industry, from energy ministers and utilities decision makers to innovative start-ups and future technology providers, it said.

This comes as part of Informa Markets’ objective to reinforce the event’s standing as a holistic energy platform that empowers stakeholders through power networking and multi-sector growth opportunities, it added.

The Middle East Energy 2020 will host new zones, including a customised Digitalisation Zone, highlighting the latest technologies in digital transformation and an expanded Renewables area.

The renewables sector will display the enormous opportunities in alternative energy sources, from hydro and geothermal, to solar and wind. Furthermore, with leading global brands launching innovative solutions, the decision to re-energise the Middle East Electricity brand is timely, said Informa Markets, even as the event continues to reflect how the world raises, distributes and consumes energy.

"This is much more than a name change," explained Claudia Konieczna, the exhibition director, Middle East Energy.

"Driven by extensive outreach and stakeholder engagement, this strategic move builds on the legacy of Middle East Electricity and takes the event to a new level to better reflect the industry we serve, an industry that continues to evolve well beyond the traditional electricity segment," noted Konieczna.

"While the electricity segment remains a core element in the wider energy field, the wider sector is now replete with advancing technologies spanning energy sources, renewables and digitalisation," she added.

Konieczna pointed out that the energy transition was already under way and digitalisation was playing a key role in developing this.

"Since its inception, Middle East Electricity has constantly been at the heart of the industry; the transformation to Middle East Energy is designed to reflect the sector’s evolution and how it impacts the way we live and work, while setting the agenda for global energy needs," she added.

The upcoming event will serve a region which is forecasted to require $109 billion in power infrastructure investment over the next five years, according to the Mena Power Industry Outlook, prepared by Ventures Onsite for Middle East Energy.

Middle East Energy will continue to expand upon its long-held role of being a new technology launch pad, a comprehensive B2B meeting ground and an educational and knowledge sharing platform for one of the fastest evolving industries, stated Konieczna.

"It will continue to be the global power platform where international experts, industry and organisations come to learn, inspire and do business," she added.-TradeArabia News Service