Leading public services provider Serco Middle East is set to play a key role at the 6th edition of Arab Future Cities Summit 2019 in Dubai where it will discuss construction of inclusive, connected, livable cities in the GCC region.

Serco Middle East is the Silver Sponsor at the two-day annual conference which kicks off tomorrow (September 16) in Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel.

The development of smart cities is now an integral aspect of the construction industry throughout the GCC, which has been bolstered in recent years by an array of high-profile projects including the Neom gigaproject in Saudi Arabia worth $500 billion or Sharjah’s $6.5 billion Aljada megaproject.

In line with these activities, Serco ME has embarked on its ambitious plans to develop more smart cities in the coming years and play a prominent role throughout such processes.

The upcoming event will examine the rapid developments that have taken place throughout the Middle East as cities aim to evolve into leading global smart cities, said a statement frm Serco ME.

Jason Hunt, the commercial director at Serco ME, will present an interactive discussion on ‘Constructing inclusive, connected, livable cities’.

Speaking to attendees on the summit's second day, Hunt will address the following topics: Importance to integrate technology, Sustainable smart projects, and Key challenges for connected and inclusive cities – following citizen-oriented development and ensuring its sustainability, it stated.

On the upcoming event, CEO Phil Malem said: "At Serco ME, improving the experience of customers by continuously introducing innovative services to government and semi-government organisations and large private corporations has always been among our top priorities."

"A major event such as Expo 2020 presents key challenges to Dubai’s infrastructure, but also offers great opportunity to understand and explore the value of developing smart cities," stated Malem.

"The Arab Future Cities Summit provides a fantastic opportunity for us to connect with likeminded people and showcase our expertise in managing public services throughout the region," he added.

Over 300 senior executives across numerous sectors and industries will come together for the event to learn and share the various opportunities for growth in the smart cities roadmap which continues to evolve.

Digital technology is having a huge impact in every sector and is driving seamless connectivity and smarter solutions, enabling the growth of smart cities, which we are increasingly witnessing in development projects in some of the leading cities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, said Malem.

"This unique event also serves as an innovative platform to promote strategies for sustainable development that complement the latest smart technology implementations. The summit has already attracted a huge amount of interest and I look forward to seeing the results of what promises to be a successful event for the smart cities sector," he added.-TradeArabia News Service