Computers Today, December 1-15, 1998 Front End

December 1-15, 1998 FRONT END

Putting up a Brave Front

It is still aiming high, despite a sluggish market and depleted organisational strength

By Sudhir Chowdhary

Shape of the
Future PC

For organisers of IT World'98/Comdex India, putting up a decent show is getting to be a daunting task. Blame it on the tough times, especially for the hardware sector. The first quarter has not brought in the expected revenues. Making things tougher is the depleted organisational strength. Business India Exhibitions, Ziff Davis and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM) have to make do without their old partner Manufacturers Association of Information Technology (MAIT), which decided to part ways.

Nevertheless, the organisers are putting up a brave face to host the forthcoming IT World '98/Comdex India conference and exposition, to be held in New Delhi from December 2 to 5, 1998. They are aiming to become the largest IT event in the subcontinent if not 'The Biggest IT Event in Asia', as they claimed last year. The organisers hope this year's show will attract more than 400 exhibitors and over 60,000 business visitors from around the world.

Technology is emerging as a saviour for the organisers. "Technology is beginning to impact the bottomline in today's competitive environment, and a decision maker is dependent on the right information to make the right technology decisions," says NASSCOM president Saurabh Srivastava. Stressing that the expo will provide a comprehensive understanding of important strategies, he adds that platforms, connectivity technologies, products and tools are paramount for organisations these days.

What happened last time

Last year, many of the 80,000 visitors to the show, went back unsatisfied. Though the exhibition showcased everything under the IT umbrella, it failed to portray the predominant trends in business and technology. The absence of major IT companies added to the woe. This time too, don't expect to see the entire CT Almanac's Big 11. The parting of ways between the organisers has also kept away HCL and its associated companies. The absent list will also include CMS Computers, CMC and Godrej & Boyce.

Of the 400 confirmed exhibitors so far, the big participants are Tata Consultancy Services, Multitech Computers, Tata IBM, Lucent Technologies, Siemens, Philips and Modi Xerox to name a few. At the least, IT World 98/Comdex India will be a mere meeting ground of IT industry players, a platform for small local vendors; and an opportunity for south east Asian companies to capture the Indian market with low-cost components and systems.

New Trends, New Ideas

Realising that past conferences ended up becoming a series of talk shops and sales pitch, the organisers have slotted time for power-packed panel discussions revolving around the theme, 'Business without Obstacles'. The sessions will also discuss the challenges facing the industry. But being a typical trade show, the conferences would address key issues for every buying segment. They will try and provide the Indian business community an enlightening insight into new technologies and innovative solutions. Keynote addresses will focus on current trends and emerging applications. IT heavyweights, including the current superstar, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, will be present in full strength: other keynote speakers are National Informatics Centre (NIC) director general N. Seshagiri, Chief Vigilance Commissioner N. Vittal, and the chiefs of Tata IBM, Compaq India, Bharti Telecom and Xerox Corp. But clearly, the hype of the previous years is missing. Which is one good reason why the expo might not stray away from its main course.

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