The TIA-USTelecom Trade Show “Re-Union”
 By TIA President Matthew J. Flanigan
As I hope you have heard, a major trade show and conference “Re-Union” is taking place, and I am confident it’s a major step forward for the industry. Of course, I’m referring to the launch of NXTcomm 2007, the new exhibition and conference just announced and jointly owned by TIA and the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom).
Our groups partnered on SUPERCOMM® for 18 years, and we partnered on the Telecommunications Showcase regional series throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Now we are combining forces again…bringing together our respective members and other industry segments, our events’ managers, and our 2006 experience with TIA’s GLOBALCOMM™ and USTelecom’s TelecomNEXT. To this “re-union” we also bring our enthusiastic commitment to create the industry’s leading event encompassing the global business of communications, information and entertainment.
I couldn’t be more delighted to see this convergence of efforts and events on behalf of our industry. Technology is converging, companies are converging, services are converging…and now our exhibitions and conferences are reuniting. The venue for 2007 will be Chicago’s familiar McCormick Place, South Hall, June 18-21… just seven months from now, with a Tuesday-Thursday exhibition schedule.
NXTcomm will be owned 50-50 by the two associations, so we have an equal and compelling stake in the successful joint venture. A limited liability corporation (LLC) is being set up to handle the efforts, and the non-profit LLC will have a separate office outside of TIA’s and USTelecom’s facilities. A board of directors will oversee the new company, with five members from each association and chairmanship rotating annually between the TIA and USTelecom presidents. A coin toss will determine the first chair.
Both associations have learned and strengthened during the last couple of years, since we decided to independently conduct separate events in 2006. GLOBALCOMM™ and TelecomNEXT were successful this year, but clearly one multi-national exhibition and conference is wanted and needed by our industry – the network operators and their technology and service partners who together are driving broadband-based innovation around the world.
For the record, here’s what we expect the results to be next June in Chicago: 550+ exhibitors, 250,000 net square feet of exhibit space, and 22,000+ attendees from more than 100 countries. We project the audience will consist of senior executives with the power to make purchasing decisions. The primary representation will come from service providers (domestic and international), large enterprises, governments, the entertainment community, cable segment, wireless, applications, content/software, telecom manufacturers/distributors, financial institutions and press/analysts from throughout the world.
Members of TIA and USTelecom will enjoy a major discount off the price of their exhibit space. And as usual, both IEC and ATIS will serve as conference partners for a major part of the programming.
Please mark your calendar to join us, June 18-21, when the industry converges on Chicago and trade shows are reunited.
XXXX
SUPERCOMM® is the registered trademark of the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and the United States Telecom Association (USTelecom).
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