The company entered the Middle East market around 2022. In just two years, HOLOWITS has expanded its business to regions including Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Pan-Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.
As the world’s biggest business event of security, safety and fire protection, Intersec was successfully held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from January 14th to 16th, 2025. The 26th edition of Intersec, held from January 14th to 16th, 2025, was the largest in its history, attracting 1,200 exhibitors from 61 countries and over 52,000 visitors from more than 140 countries.
At this year's Intersec, over 1100 enterprises showcased a diverse array of products and technologies in the fields of security, fire protection, and safety. The range of exhibits covered a wide range of areas, including AI cameras, solar-powered cameras, infrared thermal imaging devices, drones, smart access control systems, anti-theft alarms, smart door locks, as well as fire protection, emergency response, and safety products.
During the show, a&s visited several representative enterprises and conducted interviews to gain further insights into the exhibition highlights and market plans of enterprises at Intersec, and to clarify the hot trends in the Middle East security market this year, providing information references for enterprises to enter the Middle East market.
This time, a&s invited HOLOWITS. As a brand registered in Singapore, HOLOWITS focuses on exploring international markets and mainly conducts overseas businesses. It entered the Middle East market around 2022, mainly focusing on regions like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Egypt, and Turkey. In just two years, HOLOWITS has expanded its business to regions including Africa, the Middle East, Europe, the Pan-Asia-Pacific region, and Latin America.
Q: a&s (right)
A: HOLOWITS (left)
Q: What remarkable products and technologies did HOLOWITS bring to Intersec 2025?
A: This year, there are new breakthroughs in the security camera. HOLOWITS presented two product lines: project-based and channel-based. The project-based products are mainly applied in safe cities and intelligent transportation. The channel-based products, on the other hand, aim for ultimate cost-effectiveness, offering high-quality products at a favorable price to facilitate sales through channels.
Currently, the project-based products have been verified and applied in the market, achieving successful implementation in closed-loop systems, including intelligent transportation projects related to safe cities and enterprise-level commercial projects. Although the channel-based products emphasize cost-effectiveness, they also deliver high quality and high-resolution performance. By focusing on cost-effectiveness and quality and improving product performance, we can seize the crucial opportunity to promote product and project implementation. We collaborate with local channel partners who have established capabilities and independent marketing structures. This cooperation model allows us to expand the market together and can be replicated and extended in other regions.
Q: How does HOLOWITS address the issue of deployment differentiation during the expansion in the Middle East market?
A: Deployment differentiation is first reflected in the environmental factors in the Middle East. When deploying any products or solutions, enterprises cannot avoid the hot environment. Moreover, the infrastructure in some areas of the Middle East is relatively underdeveloped, which poses significant challenges to the construction of network or communication-related products.
Regarding the environmental issue, the principle of 'adapting to local conditions' plays a vital role. For example, in hot weather, we need to consider the efficiency and stability of products under high-temperature conditions, and in coastal areas, we need to consider corrosion resistance. We should comprehensively evaluate the adaptability of technology and product quality to the environment to reduce the probability of failures during deployment and subsequent operations. Regarding infrastructure, we rely on local partners, agents, and integrators to leverage their deep local resources and facilitate more effective market expansion during product construction and post-operation maintenance. By leveraging their more in-depth local resources, we can find local "anchors" to more effectively expand the market during product construction and post-operation maintenance.
Q: From competing in hardware configurations to competing in value-added service customization capabilities, how does HOLOWITS respond to such changes in the market trend?
A: In fact, from the perspective of traditional security, the so-called "marketing tactics" don't differ much. Take the Middle East market for example, it's very large and typical. The top-ranked enterprises in the UAE can achieve annual revenues of tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of dollars. All kinds of marketing tactics have been tried here.
To better keep up with product innovation and services while identifying user pain points, on the one hand, we need to improve the cost-effectiveness of products, attach importance to product performance development, and reduce product prices. On the other hand, we need to establish a complete service model. Although European and American enterprises have been deeply rooted in the Middle East market for many years and have significant advantages, HOLOWITS also have our own strength, such as a more flexible R & D and production system, and a better understanding of the needs of emerging markets. Through close communication and cooperation with partners, we can support the enterprise in optimizing aspects like training, technology and market assessment. By making full use of successful technical teams, after-sales maintenance teams, training centers, etc., and integrating their functions, we can extend our service capabilities in emerging markets.
For different customers, the enterprise's marketing strategies should also be implemented differently. The most traditional way is to directly recommend the enterprise's business and product solutions to the customer's business and IT departments. This approach is straightforward and suitable for customers who have a clear understanding of their needs and are familiar with traditional security products. Another way is to integrate resources, package the solutions as a whole, and recommend them to customers as an AI solution provider. Although these two solutions may seem similar, the second one, which involves resource integration, requires consideration of customer customization, understanding of the customer's market strategy positioning, and long-term ecological cooperation between the two sides. It is more suitable for customers who have higher requirements for comprehensive solutions and value-added services, and are willing to cooperate with suppliers in the long term to jointly explore the market.
Q: How does the enterprise view the development of artificial intelligence?
A: Although still in the initial stage of development in the Middle East market, artificial intelligence has become a hot topic. HOLOWITS has also launched new AI-enabled camera products.
For traditional security applications like face-and vehicle-recognition cameras, most manufacturers integrate AI in two ways. One is to use ordinary cameras for data collection and then conduct intelligent analysis through an integrated platform at the terminal. The other is to use front-end products with built-in AI functions for data collection and then store the data at the back-end. HOLOWITS can implement both solutions and flexibly configure them based on customer needs and budgets, greatly improving overall efficiency.
The development of AI will inevitably lead to changes in the enterprise's strategy. We have always defined ourselves as an artificial intelligence enterprise, rather than just a security company. We believe AI is the key driver for the future development of the security industry, enabling us to offer more intelligent and comprehensive solutions. We not only have traditional access control products, which are just part of the solution. From the perspective of overall large-scale solutions and the application of AI platforms, we believe a unified platform that can manage multiple subsystems is essential. This approach allows for seamless integration of different functions, enhancing the overall efficiency and functionality of the security system. Then, by packaging the entire solution for suppliers, we offer a one-stop-shop service that is more attractive to them and helps us rapidly expand the project's market reach.
Q: What did HOLOWITS gain from Intersec 2025?
A: This year marked HOLOWITS' debut at Intersec, one of the most pivotal exhibitions in the security industry, and the experience was incredibly rewarding.
In terms of business development, we've established numerous valuable connections with potential partners and customers from around the world. These new relationships have opened up exciting opportunities for market expansion, allowing us to explore new business frontiers and potentially increase our market share. Additionally, the exposure at the exhibition significantly enhanced our brand visibility. We received extensive attention from industry insiders, which has undoubtedly contributed to the growth and recognition of the HOLOWITS brand.
Looking ahead, starting from 2025, we're eager to make Intersec an annual platform to showcase our evolving range of products and innovative solutions. Through this exhibition, we aim to engage in in-depth communication with partners and customers, to better understand their needs and expectations. More importantly, we value the opportunity to have intellectual exchanges with our peers. In the security field, where visual recognition is of paramount importance, learning from others' experiences and insights is invaluable. We’re committed to ongoing development in the security industry and excited about the prospects of expanding and growing in the future.
Intersec Shanghai 2025 is coming
Intersec Shanghai Exhibition Consultation
Driven by innovation trends, the Internet of Things (loT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) have opened up promising prospects for security, smart buildings, fire safety and transportation logistics. To capitalise on the opportunities presented by this technological advancement, Messe Frankfurt and Council for the Promotion of International Trade Shanghai (CCPIT) will jointly host Intersec Shanghai, a new trade fair for security, fire protection and safety, which will be held for the first time from 13 to 15 May 2025, at the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai. Intersec Shanghai will connect the Chinese market with international security, fire protection and safety solutions.
Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd
Mr. Jack Ho
Tel: +852 2230 9294
jack.ho@hongkong.messefrankfurt.com
Messe Frankfurt (Shenzhen) Co Ltd
Mr. Luffy Zhong
Tel: +86 755 8299 4989 ext.601
luffy.zhong@china.messefrankfurt.com