News

Catch A Glimpse Into The Future Of Tech At Step Dubai 2025

Scheduled for February 19-20, 8,000+ attendees, 350+ speakers, and 400+ startups will gather for the MENA’s leading technology festival.

Published

2 years ago

February 5, 2025

Nour Nasir

catch a glimpse into the future of tech at step dubai 2025

We’re excited to be part of Step Dubai 2025, the region’s premier tech festival, set to take place on February 19-20, 2025, at Dubai Internet City. Over the past ten years, Step has been a driving force behind innovation in MENA, and this year’s event is shaping up to be bigger than ever.

Bringing together more than 8,000 attendees, 400+ startups, and 350+ speakers, along with a staggering $8.5 billion in funding opportunities, Step Dubai 2025 is a must-attend event for anyone passionate about the future of technology. Held over two action-packed days, the expo will be filled with insights, groundbreaking ideas, and opportunities to connect with some of the most influential minds in the industry.

The speaker lineup this year includes notable names such as H.E. Alia Bint Abdulla Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Groq President Mohsen Moazami, Amal Dokhan from 500 Global, Elie Khouri of Vivium, Dr. Aseel Addawood from Oracle, and Dany Farha of BECO Capital. They’ll be sharing their expertise on key topics spanning startups, fintech, AI, proptech, adtech, and beyond.

As well as thought-provoking panel discussions and keynote speeches, attendees can take advantage of:

Hands-on workshops
Networking opportunities
A packed and diverse exhibition space
Meet-ups and exclusive satellite events across Dubai

Are you planning to attend Step Dubai 2025? Take advantage of an exclusive discount on your ticket by using promo code TECHMAG. If you’re part of a startup, now’s your chance to apply and showcase your innovations at one of the biggest tech expos in the region.

Places are filling fast — click here to learn more about Step Dubai 2025 and don’t miss this opportunity to be part of MENA’s tech evolution.

News

Trip.com Is Betting An AI Agent Will Book Your Next Vacation

Abu Dhabi, Jazeera Airways and a run of hotel deals give the company more inventory. Its Mastercard demo says the most about where booking technology is headed.

Published

2 days ago

September 16, 2026

Nour Nasir

trip.com is betting an ai agent will book your next vacation

Most of what Trip.com Group announced at Arabian Travel Market 2026 this week reads like the standard expansion playbook of an online travel agency: a new agreement with a tourism board, a run of hotel partnerships, an airline deal. However, one item was considerably more interesting: a demonstration built with Mastercard of an AI agent that doesn’t just suggest trips but also pays for them.

trip.com tripgenie ai agent

The showcase put TripGenie, the company’s AI travel assistant, to work searching, selecting and completing purchases inside a single booking flow, with Mastercard’s Agent Suite for Merchants handling the payment step and Network International processing the transactions on the merchant side. It’s limited for now to attractions and ancillary services, but the partners plan a phased commercial rollout from early 2027.

“As traveller expectations change, technology and AI will play an increasingly important role in how people plan their journeys,” says Schubert Lou, CEO of Trip.com.

Meanwhile, in more conventional news, CEO Lou and Saleh Mohamed Al Geziry (Director General for Tourism at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi), signed an agreement building on the two organizations’ existing partnership, with joint marketing and Abu Dhabi destination content to be pushed across Trip.com Group’s platforms.

Also Read: Musk’s Boring Company Wants To Dig 150 KM Of Tunnel Under The UAE

On accommodation, the group expanded its partnerships with JA Hotels & Resorts, Ishraq Hospitality and Aleph Hospitality and deepened its work with Silkhaus, which brings vacation homes into a portfolio that has so far leaned on hotels. Jazeera Airways signed a strategic partnership intended to widen the Kuwaiti carrier’s reach and encourage earlier bookings, tied to Kuwait’s own tourism ambitions.

The company moved into a larger Dubai office earlier this year and describes its long-term aim as a two-way ecosystem: sending Middle East travelers abroad while drawing international visitors in.