Undaunted by Tehran’s sweltering summer heat, startup owners, tech enthusiasts and officials swarmed inside Tehran’s International Exhibition Center during the four-day event that opened on Thursday.
Big names like Arvan Cloud (cloud computing service provider), online taxi firms Snapp and Tap30, as well as online retailers Digikala and Sheypoor, had set up colorful pavilions.
The event’s tight schedule was packed with press conferences and signing ceremonies, and visitors often saw officials shuttling from one hall to another in small electric vehicles, Financial Tribune reported.
One of the figures looming large during the event was ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi who rushed from press conferences to meetings with foreign delegates to exhibition halls, and back on stage for speeches.
The rush was so intense that at one point the young minister—known for being a smart dresser—appeared with disheveled hair in a conference. His appearance triggered jokes about “Shabby Jahromi” on social media, to which the minister posted a picture on Instagram from the same conference captioned, “Don’t be scruffy.”
His aides and deputies had a constant presence in the event. Among them, Amir Nazemi, the head of Iran IT Organization, was in a rush the entire time, as he guided startup managers, or offered them words of encouragement.
Handshakes and Photo Ops
Elecomp 2019, just like the previous rounds, was organized by Iran ICT Guild Organization—an affiliate of Iran’s ICT Ministry, and staged several signing ceremonies.
The ministries of ICT and education forged a deal, based on which efforts will be made to transform schools into smart educational centers whereby they get a technological boost and are equipped with better and more computers.
The judiciary, the Statistical Center of Iran and the Vice Presidential Office for Science and Technology also signed a trilateral agreement to establish a startup accelerator for supporting fledgling firms active in offering legal services.
The ministries of economy and cooperatives agreed to set up a digital data-sharing partnership on the sidelines of Elecomp 2019, according to which insurance and tax databases separately controlled by the two entities are to be tapped as a shared policymaking resource.
Iran IT Organization and local energy company, MAPNA, signed a cybersecurity pact that entails the implementation of measure for fending off cyberattacks against Iran’s industrial infrastructure. According to government officials, there has been a sharp surge in the number of attacks in recent years.
The ICT Guild Organization and Iran’s Supreme Council of Cyberspace signed an agreement to ease collaborations between the private sector and the state-controlled council. The council sets major policies for regulating cyberspace in Iran.
The guild also forged an agreement with the e-Commerce Development Center of Iran to help make regulatory mechanisms in the field more agile.
The guild was able to bring Iran International Exhibition Company to the negotiation table and agree to allocate a space for startups during all upcoming fairs.
Saba Idea Holding, the owner of video-streaming services Aparat and Filimo, hammered a deal with mobile operator MTN-Irancell to enhance subscribers’ access to services, without providing more details.
Health Ministry and Iran’s Emergency Medical Services also entered into a data-sharing agreement that is expected to enhance cooperation and communications between the two entities.
Foreign Delegates
Delegations from Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iraq and Qatar attended Elecomp 2019.
Sitting down with delegates for one-on-one and multilateral talks, Jahromi discussed development of partnerships with his foreign counterparts.
Iran’s ICT minister conferred with his Iraqi counterpart, Naeem Thjeel Yousir Al-Rubaie, over enhancing communication services offered to Iranian pilgrims visiting Iraq during Arbaeen, the largest annual Shia gathering in the Arab country.
The Iraqi minister promised to survey shortcomings in services and to take measures for ameliorating them.
He also hosted a conference with his counterparts from Russia, Azerbaijan and Turkey—Konstantin Noskov, Ramin Namiq Oglu Guluzade and Mehmet Cahit Turhan, respectively, during which they agreed to jointly plan eight startup-related events next year.
Each country will host two of these events, during which startups and tech firms are to forge new ties with their counterparts and expand their markets.
High-ranking officials, including the president’s chief of staff, Mahmoud Vaezi, and Secretary of Iran Supreme Council of Cyberspace Abolhassan Firouzabadi, also visited the expo.
A day ahead of the exhibition, President Hassan Rouhani hosted an international gathering titled “Smart Iran Summit” at Iran’s International Conference Center late Wednesday, during which the country’s digital development plan was unveiled.
Ice-cream vendors and food trucks also attracted a large number of visitors, who sought solace in the shade of buildings.