Behind the scenes at ITU Telecom World 2009

Counting down the seconds to the arrival of 40,000 participants at Geneva PALEXPO

Geneva, 4 October 2009 - On the eve of ITU Telecom World 2009 opening its doors, the halls of Geneva PALEXPO are a hive of activity, with staff working tirelessly to ensure that the show's first day - and the remainder of the week - run smoothly.

As industry leaders, Heads of State, government officials, regulators and international organizations prepare themselves for a busy week of lively debate, the thousands of constructors, caterers, exhibition and event staff working on the show are meticulously putting in to place the final touches that will ensure VIP guests, trade visitors and media get the very most out of their participation.

The following statistics go some way to conveying the enormity of the task in hand:

• With some 700 fixed broadband connections on the show floor, WiFi hotspots throughout the Forum, and fast wireless networks in visitor areas, ITU Telecom World networks will enable some 3,500 people to be online at any one moment.

• Not wanting its guests to go hungry, ITU Telecom World caterers will prepare 3,000 sandwiches each day, and expect more than 5,000 bottles of water to be consumed every day of the show.

• During their time at the event, visitors will take an average of 2,500 steps - covering approximately 1.25km - exploring the show floor and networking with peers.

• ITU Telecom World will be full of impassioned debate; the Forum sessions will last 4,410 minutes, with participants from around the world speaking some 330,750 words simultaneously interpreted into Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish.

Ross Gan, Global Head, Corporate Communications, Huawei, commented: "There is always a lot to prepare prior to industry events, but our extensive presence at ITU Telecom World 2009 makes this even more the case. With three of the company's experts participating in panel discussions, nothing can be left to chance. We know we can rely on the ITU Telecom team as an extension of our own. At WORLD 2009, Huawei is demonstrating its latest green innovations, including intelligent energy, solar- and wind-powered base stations, geothermal cooling, recyclable packaging and approaches to green network deployment. I am therefore impressed by PALEXPO's sustainable development agenda, which includes the recycling of over 80% of waste."

Houlin Zhao, ITU Deputy Secretary-General and Acting Executive Manager of ITU Telecom, spoke of the challenge of putting together a global event involving over 150 participating countries.

"Preparation is central to the success of any worthwhile event - but for an event this size, with such a high-profile, diverse attendee base, meticulous groundwork is imperative," he said. "I am very grateful to the teams that have worked around the clock to ensure no detail is overlooked, as we count down to the opening of ITU Telecom World 2009 and look forward to this being the most influential and inspiring ITU Telecom yet."

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