Geneva to Host ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009
ITU’s flagship WORLD event poised to return to Europe

Geneva, 3 April 2006 — Geneva, Switzerland, is to host ITU TELECOM WORLD 2009, according to an announcement made today by ITU Secretary-General Yoshio Utsumi. The Secretary-General’s decision was reached following an evaluation of all bids received and based on a recommendation of the ITU TELECOM Board made mid-March.

ITU TELECOM events are renowned as major meeting places for the global information and communication technology community and bring considerable economic benefits to host cities. Consequently, competition among the four finalists was fierce, with all submitting very competitive bids. Six countries had originally applied to host the WORLD event but two withdrew their offer during the process. The four finalists were Birmingham (National Exhibition Centre), Dubai (Jebel Ali Exhibition City), Geneva (Palexpo), and Paris Nord (le Parc des Expositions).

“We were very impressed with the calibre of the offers received” said Mr Utsumi. “The Geneva authorities have made rigorous efforts to underline their support for the event, and have provided the most cost-effective package for the exhibitors, participants and organizer alike. We are pleased to award WORLD 2009 to Geneva in recognition and acknowledgement of the positive commitments made in their offer.”

Geneva’s bid includes the implementation of a mechanism to control the management and price of hotel rooms through cost control measures and the removal of any minimum-stay requirements. The decision to award the 2009 event to Geneva was made on the basis of over 20 criteria including a financial offer covering both the overall costs to exhibitors (such as hotel accommodation, rental rates and sub-contractor rates) and the fulfilment of a series of technical requirements including the quality of the infrastructure, the suitability of the venue, as well as the overall attractiveness of the location assessed through an independently conducted survey of Telecom stakeholders. The decision also takes into account the need to respond to the ICT industry to see the event move to another major ICT market after Hong Kong, the international character of Geneva as a hub for international organizations and businesses and its central geographic location, at the heart of Europe and equidistant from the markets of Asia and the Americas.

"All four candidates offered very attractive destinations for those attending our event, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their efforts," said Mr Fernando Lagraña, Executive Manager, ITU TELECOM. "While only one can win, I am confident that the high-quality of their offers and the tight race to select the host of WORLD 2009 will encourage the other candidates to bid for future ITU TELECOM events", Lagraña added.

ITU TELECOM events were launched more than 30 years ago with the first WORLD event being held in Geneva in 1971. The next ITU TELECOM WORLD event will be held in Hong Kong, China from 4-8 December 2006. It is expected to bring together 800-900 Exhibitors representing 50 different countries and 2’500 participants at the Forum. An estimated 2’000 VIPs including industry CEOs, government ministers and regulators will take part. 1'500 journalists from 600 media organizations from 45 countries are also expected to cover the event.