CommunicAsia set for a strong rebound
The region's largest communications trade show is back on track just a year after it was sidetracked by the Sars outbreak, with support from big Asian technology firms and an influx of new mainland exhibitors.
The Asian International Communications and Information Technology Exhibition and Conference, also known as CommunicAsia, is set to reopen next month in Singapore with a fresh batch of corporate sponsors and participants from 54 countries.
'Business has picked up, including the quality of our exhibitors from Asia,' said Stephen Tan, chief executive of Singapore Exhibition Services.
'This year, the total number of Hong Kong and mainland companies participating in the show has increased by almost 65 per cent from 2002.'
The 15th CommunicAsia, from June 15 to 18 at the Singapore Expo centre, is expected to attract more than 50,000 international trade visitors and more than 2,000 companies exhibiting the latest trends in wireless broadband and internet-based communications hardware, software and services.
Mr Tan said that 60 exhibiting companies from the mainland had signed up this year, a marked improvement from the 36 firms in 2002.
There would also be 47 Hong Kong-based companies in attendance, up from 43 two years ago.
Thanks to the steady economic recovery, this year's event would match 2002 in the number of companies taking part and exhibition space of about 60,000 square metres booked, Mr Tan said.
Loretta Wan, the Hong Kong Trade Development Council's regional director for Southeast Asia and India, said the show provided a viable platform for local firms to promote their information and communications technology products and services.
Still, some of the biggest players in the communications technology sector will be absent.
These include industry heavyweights Nokia, Cisco Systems and Alcatel, which was the event's biggest corporate sponsor in 2000.
Mr Tan said: 'We prefer to focus on the companies participating this year. CommunicAsia continues to gain the support of various organisations, from the largest global players to ambitious start-ups.'
Swedish mobile communications giant Ericsson will be CommunicAsia's largest sponsor and exhibitor this year, with an exhibition area of 500 square metres.
Other prominent global players at the event include Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics from South Korea; Sony, Fujitsu and Sanyo Electric from Japan; Juniper Networks and Lucent Technologies from the United States; and Germany's Siemens.
The Sars outbreak last year led to the cancellation of CommunicAsia at a considerable loss to the organiser, which returned 'every cent we collected', Mr Tan said.
The show generates about S$12 million (HK$54.55 million) in revenues a year.
