Step Conference is an annual technology festival held by Step in Dubai, United Arab Emirates and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1] It is based on Dubai, United Arab Emirates.[2]

Step Conference
StatusActive
GenreTechnology
VenueDubai International Marine Club
Dubai Internet City
Location(s)Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
CountryUnited Arab Emirates
Inaugurated2011; 13 years ago (2011)
Organized bySTEP
Websitestepconference.com

History

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Step Conference was founded in 2011 by Ray Dargham after graduation from college.[2][3] It is owned by the Step Group, the parent company which also runs Stepfeed.[4] Step held their first event in 2012, with hundred attendees.[2]

In 2015, Step Conference took place at the Dubai International Marine Club.[5] Ralph Debbas, the founder of W Motors attended the conference.[5]

In 2017, Fahad Al Butairi, Charles Elachi, and Kim Ghattas were among the attendees of the conference.[6]

In 2018, the event was divided into four groups, covering digital trends, artificial intelligence, autonomous technology, and financial technology.[7]

In 2019, more than a thousand people attended the event and the value of funds that participated was about $1 billion.[8]

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event was held virtually for the first time.[9][10]

In 2022, the conference was held in Dubai Internet City.[11] Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, a minister of state for entrepreneurship, attended the event.[12]

In 2023, the event took place in Dubai Internet City.[13] Step also unveiled its "Earth Track" at this year's conference.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Riyadh, It's Happening: STEP Conference To Make Its Mark In Saudi Arabia In March".
  2. ^ a b c Sifael, Gorkem (March 26, 2022). "Meet the Entrepreneurs: Ray Dargham". Euronews.
  3. ^ "$3.4m Fast & Furious supercar to star at Dubai conference". Arabian Business.
  4. ^ Pupic, Tamara. "STEP Group raises $2m in Series A funding". Arabian Business.
  5. ^ a b "Meet Vin Diesel's $3.4m car from 'Furious 7'". Gulf News.
  6. ^ "Dubai's STEP Conference adds day for music". Gulf News.
  7. ^ "It's That Time Of Year Again: Dubai Internet City To Host STEP Conference 2018 In March". February 22, 201.
  8. ^ D'Mello, Sandhya. "Step provides platform for startups to learn and thrive". Khaleej Times.
  9. ^ "STEP Conference Goes Virtual With STEP Anywhere 2020". June 18, 2020.
  10. ^ D'Mello, Sandhya. "STEP affirms UAE is regional hub for entrepreneurship". Khaleej Times.
  11. ^ D'Mello, Sandhya. "Step Conference 2022 to push evolution of ecosystem forward, says Ray Dargham". Khaleej Times.
  12. ^ Dayanand, Nivetha. "STEP 2022: UAE wants to host 20 unicorn startups by 2031, says minister Al Falasi". Gulf News.
  13. ^ a b "Search | Gulf News". GulfNews.