Infotel 2011 to ‘Accelerate IT’

Sri Lanka’s flagship ICT Expo, the Infotel 2011, will be held from 2 to 5 December 2011 at the BMICH. This event is organised by the Federation of Information Technology Industry of Sri Lanka (FITIS) in partnership with Ministry of Telecommunication and IT and ICTA.

This will the 11th exhibition in the series and first event after organisers decided to hold event annually.

The exhibition will be a large corporate CIO meeting place too and has now expanded to include large enterprise software exhibitors and trainers and has even gone beyond boundaries to feature areas such as cloud based services, virtualisation, ERP, business systems, office automation. IT/BPO and telecommunication sector which too has become part and parcel of the ICT industry. This year’s Infotel Expected is expected to be one of the largest ICT/BPO career fairs too.

“Ministry of Telecommunication and IT is happy to work very closely with FITIS in organising these years Infotel 2011 Sri Lanka ICT Expo as it contributes in achieving our key national ICT objectives. Sri Lanka is poised for a new chapter of accelerated economic growth after winning peace after 30 years of war. In our journey towards a knowledge hub as envisioned in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana – Vision for the Future,’ this year’s Infotel theme ‘Accelerate IT’ epitomises the vital role of ICT in building Sri Lanka’s new economy.

Hence I invite all industry stakeholders to take part in this important event in the national ICT calendar” Says Ranjith Siyambalapitiya Minister of Telecommunication of IT.

Infotel 2011 offers an ideal platform for ICT stakeholders in Sri Lanka and the neighbouring South Asian Region to explore and capitalise the new growth and wealth creation opportunities in the country.

One of the key highlights of the Infotel 2011 Expo is the participation it has been elevated to an international expo level and corporate CIO meeting place, said Wasantha Weerakkon, President of FITIS Hardware Chapter and Chairman Infotel 2011 Main Organising Committee.

Weerakkon said, “With Sri Lanka poised to be ‘The Miracle of Asia,’ initiatives such as Infotel 2011 will be more focused towards the country’s national growth.

Today IT has become a core factor in any type of growth industry which can range from a very small business enterprise to that of a top corporate.

We are very sure that in the future the area of IT will be the main driving force behind the country’s growth.

We are hoping to position this year’s Infotel exhibition as a regional show, where we can position Sri Lankan products to the outside world.

In order for the country to grow and expand we must open up more avenues of employment, therefore alongside the exhibition we will also be focusing on areas such as career guidance.”

Speaking on the main objectives of this year’s Infotel 2010, FITIS CEO Damith Hettihewa said: “The key objective of the exhibition is to mobilise all citizens towards achieving national ICT objectives set out by President Mahinda Rajapaksa in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana – Vision for the Future’ and Ministry of Telecommunication and IT, namely creating a knowledge hub, 75% ICT literacy and US$ 1 billion ICT related exports by 2015.

Although Infotel has been a bi-annual event in last 18 years, this is the first time we are hosting this event on an annual basis after significant success we had last year.

This year’s Infotel Expo will be unique as it will not be limited to a showcase of  ICT product and gadgets but will be an ICT Expo of international standards and a meeting place for corporates, buyers, seller, recruiting companies, career seekers and IT enthusiasts alike.” Outlining the INFOTEL 2011 Programme, Hettihewa said: “An interesting and knowledge enhancing programme of activities has been planned for to coincide with the Infotel 2011 Sri Lanka ICT Expo. Infotel Forum is held for the second time which is a regional CIO forum for knowledge and trends sharing.  

Student day and career fair where large numbers of students and career seekers are expected to participate. The glamorous Infotel Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner will be held on 4 December at the BMICH premises.”

The participants of the Infotel 2011 will range from high profile ICT decision makers, CIOs, visionary CEOs, business and professional leaders, academia and tech savvy individuals to high school and university students, ICT knowledge seekers and early adopters of technology.

Over 200 exhibitors are expected to participate in this years’ event.

The Sri Lanka ICT Industry Association, FITIS, the Federation of Information Technology Industry Sri Lanka, which constitutes Sri Lanka Computer Vendors Association (SLCVA) – the Hardware Chapter, Sri Lanka Association for the Software Industry (SLASI) – the Software Chapter, Association of Computer Training Organisations (ACTOS) – the Training Chapter, Lanka Internet Service Providers Association (LISPA)/(TPA) – the Telecommunications Chapter and Information Systems  Audit & Control Association  (ISACA) – the Professional Chapter.

FITIS has been in operation for the last 15 years as the unified umbrella organisation of the ICT industry in Sri Lanka. FITIS has been actively engaged in setting the strategic direction and developing the ICT industry in Sri Lanka with many programmes which have been successfully implemented.