Overview of TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97

TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 will be the first event of its kind to be staged by the ITU, and will bring a new and clearer vision of the complex world of multimedia services and interactive applications. It has never been more difficult to predict what is going to happen next in the converging telecommunications, computing and entertainment industries. Will our telephones become TVs, whilst our TVs become computers and our computers become telephones? To some extent these things are already happening, but none of us knows which of these trends - if indeed any of them - will define the future marketplace. What is clear is that content, or information, will be as important in tomorrow's world as infrastructure is important in today's.

TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 will provide a Forum to bring together industry and government leaders to discuss the vital issues involved, including standardization issues, and policy and regulatory matters. And there will be an Exhibition and Thematic Pavilions which will show what convergence will really mean in terms of the applications and services that will shape the way we work, the way we live, and the way we interact with other people.

TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 Exhibition

What is TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97?

TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97, a new, global event focusing on interactive multimedia applications and services, will provide a Forum (conference) to bring together industry and government leaders to discuss the vital issues involved, including standardization issues, and policy and regulatory matters. And there will be an Exhibition including Corporate Exhibits and a number of Thematic Pavilions, which will show what convergence will really mean in terms of the applications and services that will shape the way we work, the way we live, and the way we interact with other people.

• The convergence of the telecommunications, computing and entertainment sectors is resulting in the creation of a new interactive industry, changing the telecommunications marketplace and the way services are demanded and supplied. TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 will discuss the implications of these changes, and promote the emerging technologies and services.
• The emphasis has shifted from infrastructure to infostructure, with the focus moving to applications and services that permit people to access information in a variety of user-friendly ways. Such infostructure applications generate an increased demand on the overall infrastructure.
• There is a growing shift from supply to demand; it is time to put on show what is available today, and what will be available tomorrow.
• TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 is the first in a series of such events to be organised by the ITU.

A Forum and an Exhibition

The Forum will be a central focus of TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97, while the Exhibition will provide an opportunity for the promotion of the products, services and market developments discussed at the Forum.

The Forum will address a panoply of technical and strategic issues in direct relation to each of the Thematic Pavilions. Considerable attention will focus on the companies participating within these Pavilions and several of the official event products will concentrate solely on the promotion of this key element of TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97.

Which industries will be represented?

Leading companies active in the converging sectors of telecommunications, computing and entertainment will all be represented at TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 with Equipment Suppliers, Telecoms Operators and Interactive Broadcasters exhibiting alongside Internet Service Providers, Publishers, Software Manufacturers and Content Providers.

Why participate as an Exhibitor?

• TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 will bring Exhibitors together for the first time from the telecommunications, information technology and media industries focusing on multimedia applications and services. Each participating company will have an opportunity to increase its awareness of the infocommunications industry players and of the competitive factors in play.
• TELECOM events traditionally receive intense media coverage worldwide. Exhibitors can unveil their latest multimedia products and services, secure in the knowledge that they will receive maximum exposure from the international press.
• Exhibitors in each of the above-mentioned sectors will have access to a variety of companies within the other industries, providing them with an ideal opportunity to promote their services and thereby expand their traditional client base and extend their industry coverage.
• TELECOM events attract the participation of exhibitors' senior executives. Exhibitors will therefore have a chance to establish contacts with companies from related and/or new sectors at a senior decision-making level, with a view to establishing cross-industry strategic partnerships for the future.
• The International Telecommunication Union is unique in its ability to bring together senior level governmental and industry representatives from the public and private sectors of its 187 Member States and 406 Sector Members respectively. Exhibitors will have direct access to these executives, who will be keen to witness at the exhibition the technologies, services and market trends which are debated in the Forum.

Included in this unique audience will be representatives from least developed/developing countries, who will be keen to establish relationships with industry players that can offer creative partnership solutions to their technological problems.

Key decision makers from leading industry players will visit this unique event to raise their awareness of the infocommunications marketplace. Exhibitors will have a unique and timely opportunity to promote their services to this strategic audience.

How will the exhibition be structured?

Further to consultations with industry experts and potential exhibitors, it has been proposed that the exhibition should comprise standard exhibits (incorporating both Corporate Exhibits and National Pavilions) and Thematic Pavilions.

Corporate Exhibits

• As at "traditional" TELECOM exhibitions, Corporate Exhibition space will be reserved by companies wishing to present a global image, focusing on the range of appropriate products and services. At TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97 these stands will occupy the majority of the floorspace, and will be located around the Thematic Pavilions. Exhibitors with Corporate Exhibits may also choose to promote their services in one or more of the Thematic Pavilions.
• Corporate Exhibition space will cost CHF 530.-/m² (12 m² minimum), and individual contracts will be concluded between ITU/TELECOM and each exhibitor. This charge is for space only and does not include any stand related costs.
• The majority of Corporate Exhibitors usually choose to design and construct custom-built stands. However, TELECOM will also appoint a company responsible for the provision of shell scheme (modular) stands, whereby exhibitors can order the basic shell construction, including, if required, facilities, signage and furniture.

National Pavilions

• Russia and the US have already submitted Options for National Pavilions at TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97, with other countries indicating that they will also join.

Thematic Pavilions

• Each pavilion within the Exhibition will focus on interactive applications and services within particular sectors of the industry such as Health, Education and Commerce, with a fourth stand highlighting Intelligent Living.
• The Health Pavilion will focus on interactive health and medical applications, telemedicine and the growing impact of telecommunications on health.
• The Education Pavilion will be concerned with the ongoing trials and new products and services regarding distance learning, cybercampuses, educational interactive broadcasting and educational concerns - globally.
• The Commerce Pavilion will promote the growth and development of on-line business, transactional services, financial services and the general development of various commercial applications throughout the global telecommunications network.
• The Intelligent Living Pavilion will highlight and demonstrate the advancement of video-on-demand, the growth of on-line entertainment, applications supporting working and shopping from home and the growing number of intelligent communities - trends affecting the way we interact with society at every level.
• The Thematic Pavilion Stand structure will be commissioned by the ITU and built by a professional Stand Builder. The ITU will also undertake the necessary business and technical administration and will each participant with an area of approximately 35m². Furthermore, in addition to the provision of the Stand, the ITU will also provide a high-speed, high bandwidth network, complete with technical support, to allow participants integrated connectivity. Senior ITU Network Engineers will ensure that the most up to date technology is used and implemented to provide a truly state of the art network. The cost of participating in each Thematic Pavilion will be CHF 40,000 (Forty thousand Swiss Francs). Additional allowances will need to be made for costs associated with personnel, travel, accommodation, provision of equipment, communication and necessary engineering costs. Costs relating to graphics and other presentation and decorative materials are also not included.
• During the preparatory stages, the ITU will put Thematic Pavilion participants in contact with each other to facilitate the establishment of joint ventures, within the context of the Stand, and to enable Exhibitors to share information towards producing a coherent presentation of their collective technologies, applications, products and services. A full description of rights and obligations of participants is in the process of being elaborated.
• Companies interested in participating within the framework of a Thematic Pavilion may also participate within a Corporate or National Stand.

Who will come to TELECOM INTERACTIVE 97?

TELECOM Inter@ctive 97 is aimed at industry professionals - it is not a consumer show. Corporate Intranet users will find more to suit them than domestic Internet users. Visitors will include key decision makers of the highest level from the industry sectors mentioned above, together with senior level representatives from the 187 ITU Member States and 406 ITU Sector Members. The public will have access only on the last day of the exhibition.

How is Exhibition Space reserved?

• Application to Exhibit forms should be submitted, with a 50% deposit, by 1 March 1997.
• Exhibitors will be notified of space allocation by TELECOM by 8 April 1997.
• Exhibitors must confirm acceptance of allocated space by 8 May 1997.

| Back to the TELECOM Interactive 97 Home Page |