Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
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ITU Telecom World 2015 opens for business
Focus for event will be on supporting ICT SMEs and start-ups to accelerate
innovation
Geneva, 12 October 2015 – Doors opened today in Budapest for
ITU Telecom World 2015, the global ICT innovation event for SMEs, corporates and
governments. The event kicked off with a spectacular Opening Ceremony, in the
presence of H.E Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary, ITU Secretary-General,
Houlin Zhao, and a host of other distinguished high-level participants spanning
government, industry and representatives of many global SMEs and start-ups.
The event will comprise over 230 exhibitors, sponsors and partners from over
40 countries, with the Forum and Leadership Summit including 200 speakers and 44
panel sessions, workshops and sponsored sessions. Over 250 leaders – split
evenly between the public and private sectors – from 88 countries across the
globe will take part in the week’s proceedings. The event’s Young Innovators
Competition will also celebrate 6 winning young social technopreneurs, selected
from a total of 493 entries from 74 countries. Some 100 accredited international
media are expected onsite at Budapest’s HUNGEXPO to cover the event.
Launching the ceremony and acknowledging the critical role which SMEs and
start-ups play within the ICT ecosystem and how this forms the cornerstone of a
new and exciting direction for ITU and ITU Telecom, ITU’s Zhao stressed his
personal commitment “to ensuring we implement this new focus in response to the
needs of the countries, industry and national and international socio-economic
development.”
Expanding on this vision he added “We wish to reform ITU Telecom to create
such an international platform where we can share knowledge, exchange ideas,
best practice, and inspiration, and facilitate networking and partnerships with
SMEs.”
Addressing a packed auditorium, Hungary’s Prime Minister H.E Viktor Orbán
spoke of past and present Hungarian innovators, and outlined plans for Digital
Hungary, noting that “Hungary can be as proud of its role in the ICT sector
today as it was in the past. We have grounds to be proud of the fact that the
digital economy of Hungary is one of the fastest developing in the EU.”
Speaking via video message, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon encouraged
government and technology industry leaders gathered in Budapest to “foster
greater innovation and entrepreneurship in the ICT sector, especially among
small and medium sized business.” He urged participants to “consider what more
you can do to ensure universal connectivity, close the digital divide, open
doors to knowledge and ensure the full participation of women and girls in the
ever growing digital economy in support of the 2030 agenda for sustainable
development.”
Kerstin Günther, Managing Director of Deutsche Telekom’s Pan-Net and
Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Magyar Telekom, said “I think it is a
powerful message and feedback for Hungary and the whole region that ITU brought
its jubilee world conference to Budapest. The future is present in Hungary,
and Hungary is a hub of the European ICT industry right now.” Echoing a core
theme of the event, she also noted that “Digital Hungary will be a real European
success story that may serve as a role model for any country in the world also
as a blueprint of how government and industry work together.”
Marina von Neumann Whitman, daughter of the late John von Neumann, a founding
figure of computing, told participants via a video message that “All of the
ingenuity that characterized my father continues to be found in Hungarian
citizens of the 21st century, and the best way today to exploit this creativity
is through promoting the use of ICTs.”
The Opening Ceremony marked the start of an action-packed few days of
high-level debate, dialogue between long-established business, SMEs and
governments, showcasing and networking.
ITU Telecom World is an Exhibition for
digital solutions, a Forum for
sharing knowledge and a
Networking
hub for governments, industry – from established players to SMEs to
start-ups – and academia. Its aim is to help ideas go further, faster and to
promote the innovative, transformative ICT-enabled solutions that will make the
world better, sooner.
Through an interactive
programme of debates, the Forum will tackle central issues
affecting the ICT ecosystem today, opening with a top-level Leadership Summit
on accelerating
digital innovation for social impact. Discussions comprise panel
debates, workshops, high-level round tables and keynotes. The full Forum
programme is available here and
the speaker listing is here.
The event also comprises an Exhibition for digital solutions from emerging
and developed markets, showcasing the smartest ideas and entrepreneurial spirit
of start-ups from countries, regions and top industry names from across the
world. It also includes a host of key networking opportunities, including
activities enabling delegates to engage on a B2B or B2G level, such as
B2G and B2B Dialogues & Lunches bringing together
government, industry and SMEs.
For more information, please contact:
Lucy George
Media Coordinator, ITU Telecom World 2015
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Sarah Parkes
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
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Alfons Pich
Media Coordinator, ITU Telecom World 2015
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