Middle East Film and Comic Con (MEFCC) 2023 cemented its success as the premier pop culture event of the year, seeing its biggest turnout yet after welcoming over 35,000 visitors spanning the three-day festival.

Organised by Informa Connect and supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), MEFCC is set to be back for its 12th edition next year in Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company (ADNEC) from 9-11 February 2024.

Organised by Informa Connect and supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), the increasingly popular MEFCC is making plans to return next year. At MEFCC 2023, fans of various iconic TV shows and films were given the chance to get autographs and pictures from with their favourite celebrities, including Stranger Things stars David Harbour and Jamie Campbell Bower, Star Wars’ Hayden Christensen and Anthony Daniels, Lord of the Rings’ Andy Serkis, House of the Dragon’s Matt Smith, and Moon Knight’s May Calamawy, as well as the voice actors behind Disney’s Belle (Paige O’ Hara), Vegeta in Dragon Ball (Christopher Sabat), and Demon Slayer Tanjiro Kamado (Zach Aguilar).

The Festival Stage was kept lively with dance classes by celebrity choreographers G-Force, performances from Ashen Runway and the Boxtones, live DJ sets with DJ Abood and DJ Trina; thrilling PUBG Mobile Tournaments, along with One Piece, Naruto and Demon Slayer showcases.

The highlight of the Festival Stage on Saturday was the Cosplay Competition, where fans brought their favourite characters to life with exceptional costume craftsmanship and performative prowess. Alex and Erim triumphed for MEFCC’s 3rd World Cosplay Summit (WCS), emerging as the official UAE representatives at the WCS Summit 2023 Finals, taking place this August in Nagoya, Japan.

Creativity overflowed at the Artist Alley, which convened over 300 local and 12 international artists. Meanwhile, the Gaming Arena was packed with players participating in NBA2K, CS:GO, FIFA 23, Fortnite and Rocket League tournaments. NBA2K League further thrilled esports and gaming fans as eLeague pro players Mihad “The Beast” Faratovic of Gen.G Tigers, Ramo Radoncic of Pistons GT, Malik “Slaughter” Leisinger of T-Wolves Gaming, Brendan “Reizey” Hill of Mavs Gaming, and Alexander “Steez” Bernstein of Nets GC attended the event.

Loy Pinheiro, Show Director, Middle East Film & Comic Con, said, “While success brings us immense joy, it also sets the bar higher and pushes us to do even better next year. The MEFCC team is putting unity in the community and it’s the unwavering passion of our community that pushes us to strive harder and deliver the best experience for our partners and fans. We’re proud to have the most engaged and dedicated fans, exhibitors and partners, and we’ll continue to work tirelessly to bring you the best pop culture festival in the Middle East. We look forward to seeing you all at our next edition in 2024.”

ASUS has announced the groundbreaking Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (UX9702), the world’s first 17.3-inch foldable OLED laptop. To create this futuristic device, ASUS and Intel have developed industry-first solutions to advance innovation in the foldable category, including collaborations between domain experts and an ecosystem partnership.

This groundbreaking Intel Evo-certified foldable laptop offers users two sizes of OLED display in one device: a large 4:3 17.3-inch 2.5K touchscreen that folds in the middle to create two seamless 3:2 12.5-inch 1920 by 1280 displays. When folded fully closed along the precision-engineered 180° hinge — which is tested to withstand over 30,000 open-and-close cycles — it’s an ultra-compact and portable 12.5-inch device that’s smaller than a sheet of photocopier paper.

Multiple versatile usage modes — Desktop, Laptop (with Bluetooth keyboard), Laptop (with virtual keyboard), Tablet, Reader, and Extended — are enabled by the folding design in conjunction with the full-size ASUS ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad. Despite its versatility and large screen size, the device weighs just 1.5 kg without the keyboard or 1.8 kg with it.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED comes with a full-size ErgoSense Bluetooth keyboard and touchpad that massively increases its versatility, allowing use in Desktop mode, Laptop mode (with Bluetooth keyboard), Laptop mode (with virtual keyboard), Tablet mode, Reader mode or Extended mode. In each mode, the easy-to-use window management tools allow multiple split-display configurations and flexible app layouts for enhanced productivity.

In Desktop mode the unfolded 17.3-inch screen — propped up in landscape orientation using the built-in faux leather kickstand — can be used with the ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad attached wirelessly to create a powerful large-screen PC for easy productivity. For Laptop mode (with Bluetooth keyboard) when on the go, the keyboard attaches magnetically when placed on the lower half of the folded display. Alternatively, in Laptop mode (with a virtual keyboard) the lower display can be turned into a virtual on-screen keyboard.

Tablet mode allows users to exploit the full touch capabilities of the fully opened 17.3-inch touchscreen, while Reader mode — with the hinge aligned vertically — turns Zenbook 17 Fold OLED into the perfect reading device. Finally, in Extended mode — propped up in portrait orientation, the folded two 12.5-inch screens are perfect for users to scroll on the upper and lower displays seamlessly. Zenbook 17 Fold OLED can be connected to an external monitor via one of the two USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED has been tested to meet the ultra-demanding MIL-STD-810H US military standard for reliability and durability. The precision-engineered 180° hinge is also torture-tested, undergoing over 30,000 open-and-close cycles to ensure maximum reliability for total peace of mind. To put this in context, if a user opens and closes the laptop six times per day, this represents a lifespan of over nine years. The stepless hinge is built to firmly hold the upper screen at any angle, making it perfect when used as an ultraportable 12.5-inch laptop, or for single-handed use in reader mode.

Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is designed to deliver truly immersive audio and visual experience, starting with its amazing 60 Hz / 0.2 ms 17.3-inch 2.5K foldable OLED (FOLED) touchscreen. This display is Dolby Vision certified for realistic HDR visuals, PANTONE Validated for color accuracy and has a cinema-grade 100% DCI-P3 color gamut for vivid colors. It’s also TÜV Rheinland certified for low blue-light emissions and flicker-free operation, making it easy on the eyes during long viewing sessions.

Movies, videos, and music are all enhanced by the immersive surround-sound capabilities of the powerful Harman Kardon-certified quad-speaker Dolby Atmos audio system. Dolby Atmos adds an exciting new spatial dimension to sound for an ultra-realistic listening experience. The speakers are driven by a smart amplifier that maximizes volume — up to 3.5X louder than a standard amplifier — while minimizing distortion, ensuring crystal-clear sound for entertainment or communications.

The Intel Evo-certified Zenbook 17 Fold OLED is powered for effortless multitasking by high-performance components including a 12th Gen Intel Core i7-1250U processor, Intel Iris Xe graphics, 16 GB RAM, and a 1 TB PCIe SSD. The long-lasting 75-watt-hour battery features USB-C Easy Charge, so it can be charged quickly with most USB-C chargers or power banks, or any Power Delivery-certified charger, including the bundled 65 W fast-charge adapter.

For the perfect user experience, Zenbook 17 Fold OLED laptop includes a Bluetooth version of our new ErgoSense keyboard and touchpad. The keyboard has a full-size 19.05 mm key pitch and a long 1.4 mm key travel. It’s our best laptop keyboard ever, offering improved typing accuracy and comfort. The keyboard includes a large ErgoSense touchpad that has a new silky-smooth surface for easy navigation, protected by a durable anti-fingerprint coating.

ASUS Zenbook 17 Fold OLED (UX9702) will be available from 18th October 2022 in UAE from Virgin Megastore, Jumbo, Sharaf DG, Emax, Ecity, Computronic, AL Ershad, Amazon and ASUS eshop. The price starts at AED 12,999.

Dubai will be hosting its first edition of PopCon Middle East (PopConME) from the 10^th  – 13^th  November 2022. Promising the ultimate weekend, PopConME will showcase the best in Movies, TV, comics, graphic novels, anime, cosplay, and much more. In partnership with Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), Speedy Comics, and Alanza Trading, PopConME will take place at the Dubai Exhibition Centre (DEC), Expo City Dubai, featuring exclusive workshops, movie screenings, Cosplay gaming competitions, and much more.

PopConME will be running as part of Dubai Esports Festival (DEF 2022) taking place from the 9^th – 20^th November 2022, the most exciting esports and gaming event in the Middle East, and a trend-setter for the region’s gaming industry which is set to cement Dubai’s position as a year-round global hub for esports and gaming.

“We are excited to introduce PopConME to Dubai. I have been a fan of comic books since I was a child and have been entrenched in the community from an early age. This is a dream come true for a true geek like me. I want this convention to have everything and more my geek heart desires.” said Amer Rashed Al Farooq, Deputy CEO, Speedy Comics Group, the region’s number one destination for vintage comics and pop culture collectibles.

This festival will give fans the opportunity to celebrate their favourite celebrities, meet like-minded people, and indulge in the world of fantasy all under one roof. Comic book geeks will get the opportunity to meet and greet their favourite talents up close, attend exclusive workshops and buy one-of-a-kind merchandise at the Artist Alley. Packed with interactive zones and activations PopConME will host its own People’s Choice Cosplay, Dungeons & Dragons, Pokémon/Yu-Gi-Oh Card Competitions.

Featuring a line-up of some of the biggest international talents, PopConME has already confirmed the attendance of Nightmare on Elm Street actress Katie Cassidy, who is also known for her portrayal of the demon Ruby in the fantasy horror series, Supernatural and Black Canary in Arrow. Also confirmed to attend are CW Supernatural Kevin Tran and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency actor, Osric Chau, and voice actor Ray Porter best known for his portrayal of DC Comics Villain, Darkseid in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.