More telecom events expected this year
By I. Christianto
SINGAPORE (JP): The six-day Asia Telecom 97 event ended here Saturday, but similar events will soon follow suit.
Among large-scale telecom events to be held later this year will be AsiaCom in Hong Kong and Asia-Pacific Telecom 97 in Jakarta.
Jakarta will host Asia-Pacific Telecom 97 from Nov. 29 to Dec. 3 at the Jakarta Fairgrounds in Kemayoran.
Outside Asia, Geneva will host Telecom Interactive 97 in September. A prime event, World Telecom 99, will also be held in Geneva in October 1999.
Secretary-general of the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunications, Jonathan L. Parapak, said that such events were gatherings for telecommunications experts and executives, and other interested and related people, to find out developing trends in telecommunications.
"We can also learn about new technologies," Parapak said during his visit to Singapore last week.
He was in Singapore visiting Asia Telecom 97 and promoting Asia-Pacific Telecom 97 in Jakarta.
Telecommunications exhibitions have so far been very attractive events.
The recent Asia Telecom 97 held at a 32,000 square-meter space at the World Trade Center, for instance, was beneficial not only to Singapore's telecommunications businesses but also to its tourist industry.
Hundreds of journalists from various nations covered events which were attended by dozens of VIPs (ministers and other top- ranking officials and policy makers), top executives, engineers, marketers, economists, lawyers, scientists and academics.
Around 70 star-rated hotels on the island republic were fully- booked during the week-long event which was organized by the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union (ITU).
Hundreds of millions of dollars changed hands during the event. Rental space for exhibitions reached and sometimes exceeded US$500 per square-meter. In addition, exhibitors could be required to pay for extra electricity because of overuse.
ITU considered Singapore an ideal location for the event.
Singapore, which lacks natural resources, is also well-known for its seriousness in developing telecommunications and information technologies.
Secretary-general of ITU, Pekka Tarjanne, said that Asia Telecom 97 was the biggest ITU event yet held in the region, involving 475 exhibitors from more than 25 nations.
"The theme of Asia Telecom 97 is 'The sky's the limit'. Singapore is the ideal venue for an event with this theme," Tarjanne said.
He said that telecommunications events were unique in the industry. "Of course they are the biggest and most successful events of their kind, and they are special in other ways as well."
"On one hand, they are a celebration of the incredible achievements of the industry," he said. "On the other hand, telecommunications events also provide an opportunity to reflect on the industry and its future, and to think about what must be done in order to achieve the promises of technology."
Telecommunications events usually consist of several activities, including two major ones, exhibitions and conferences.
Asia Telecom 97, which was opened by Singapore's Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong, deserved thumbs-up as it succeeded in featuring a wide range of telecommunications categories, both in exhibitions and forums.
Categories in exhibitions included mobile communications, satellites, networks, network services, intelligent networks, multimedia, the Internet, private networks, cabling systems, diagnostic and testing equipment and security systems.
A forum and a symposium also covered various topics such as regulations, community developments, copyrights, interactivity, pricing, financing, law and future trends.
A steering committee, chaired by the Telecommunications Authority of Singapore, was formed in July 1996 to make preparations for Asia Telecom 97. The committee, working closely with ITU, included representatives from the Ministry of Communications, Ministry of Information and Arts, Singapore Tourism Promotion Board, Singapore Telecommunication Ltd and MobileOne Asia Ltd.
Asia Telecom 97 also provided journalists with appropriate facilities, including free Internet service with e-mail accounts during the event. A well-equipped pressroom with pigeonholes holding publications for events was also made available.
Difficulties still occurred. Journalists who came after press day on June 8, had to argue with security guards and police to enter the pressroom for registration and badges. The pressroom was located inside the exhibition hall, while everyone wanting to enter the hall was required to wear a badge.
Other out-of-place scenes included exhibitors' gimmicks to attract attention by featuring unrelated material. One exhibitor included a contemporary ballet-style show with female and male dancers in bodysuits.
The Asia-Pacific Telecom 97 event to be held in Jakarta could indeed learn from Asia Telecom 97. The event in Jakarta has chosen "Competitiveness through multimedia and wireless technology in the global information society of the 21st century" as its theme.
The event, hosted by the Ministry of Tourism, Post and Telecommunication, will be another occasion which will feature exhibitions and conferences on recent development.
President of the event's organizing firm PT Multi Media Promo, Sony Pasaka, said that 15 ministers of related industries would attend Asia-Pacific Telecom 97.