FITIS reveals big league dual ICT events

By Cassandra Mascarenhas

Sri Lanka’s biggest ICT events of 2012, the ASOCIO international conference and the country’s national IT expo INFOTEL, will be held consecutively portraying the country’s persistent ICT development and the significance of the rapidly expanding industry.

Hosted by the Federation of Information Technology Industry (FITIS), the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organisation (ASOCIO), the regional IT summit, will be held from 15 to 17 November at the Hilton Colombo alongside INFOTEL 2012 at the BMICH from 16 to 18 November.

To be held under the theme ‘ICT beyond borders,’ the events will see an influx of foreign delegates from 29 countries namely USA, UK, Canada, Spain, Russia, France, Kenya, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

“The present business environment is more apt for foreign delegates to take advantage and make use of the strong investment opportunities, capitalising on the immense business opportunities available in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka has emphasised its special interest and attention on facilitating the ICT industry as it is one of the key drivers contributing towards a positive economic shift,” stated FITIS Chairman T. Suresh at the launch held on Tuesday.

He added that the regional ICT summit will go a long way in helping the Sri Lankan ICT industry achieve the one billion dollar export target that has been set and further strengthen one of the fastest growing industries in the country.

“We are fortunate that the major international technology companies based in Sri Lanka are backing us as they have done over the years,” Suresh noted. Partners for the dual summits include the ICTA, EDB, Sri Lanka Tourism, Sri Lankan Airlines and Intel amongst many others.

Established in 1984, ASOCIO’s members today account for more than 10,000 ICT companies and represents approximately $350 billion of ICT revenue in the region. The summit is expected to work as a launching platform for the growth in the South Asian region and encourage countries to invest in the Sri Lankan economy and subsequently garner the benefits of it.

“The sessions will feature technical discussions, conferences, business matchmaking networking sessions themed on cloud computing and mobile and ICT security and even a golf tournament in order to build regional alliances and improve export opportunities between Sri Lanka and the visiting countries,” explained ASOCIO 2012 Organising Committee Chairman Udaya De Silva.

Top level representatives from organisations such as NASSCOM India, III Research Centre Taipei, senior officials representing South Korea for e-Government as well as World Bank, ADB and Intel representatives are expected to be amongst the speakers.

ASOCIO 2012 is set to attract over 500 delegates, including over 500 delegates, including over 250 foreign delegates where local and international professionals will share their best practices in ICT. Infotel 2012 will showcase over 250 stalls covering hardware, software, systems integration, ITES/BPO, office automation, telecommunication equipment, telecom services, ICT training, electronic media, gaming, medical electronics, e-Citizen services and e-Sri Lanka initiative segments. E-Health and IT in agriculture will be the two newest categories to be featured in this year’s exhibition according to the organisers.