Striking a Key Note

Looking at the news coming out of NXTcomm in recent weeks, I'm struck by the high-caliber affiliates presenting conference events, including IEC, ATIS, FierceMarkets, Broadband Wireless World and many others. The timely product zones and special-interest pavilions and the demonstrations at NXTploration Theater are bigger and better than ever. But as usual, the highlight of this June's conference is the presence of world-class executives from across the industry willing to talk about, and listen for, the latest trends in ICT.

Note the three carrier executives slated to speak: Verizon President and Chief Operating Officer Denny Strigl; Sprint Nextel President and Chief Executive Officer Daniel Hesse; and AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson. Each not only represents the highest leadership of the carriers that drive business in the U.S. communications market, but the most targeted customers for many of TIA's members. Add to this the recently announced keynote address by Survivor producer and television-industry legend Mark Burnett, nominated for 48 Emmy Awards and a surefire winner with a long history of hits. As the producer widely credited for introducing reality television as a genre to the United States, Burnett is uniquely positioned to discuss the direction content-carrier-vendor relationships are heading in domestically and abroad.

The keynote speeches are a special opportunity to hear exactly what each of these captains of industry thinks about the direction in which the market is headed. I've spoken in recent weeks about market uncertainty and consolidation, and what better way for vendors nationwide to get a snapshot of where the market is headed than from the leadership of three of the biggest purchasers around?  In a similar vein, who is better-positioned to tell vendors how best to tailor their delivery systems, handsets, chipsets and other components for maximum performance – not to mention identifying the most useful business models?

But the importance of the executive presence at NXTcomm is only partially reflected in the speeches given by our keynote speakers – it's vested in the opportunities their presence creates throughout the conference. Meetings, show floor product demos, sales pitches, all have an extra resonance when the top-level decision-makers are present. No matter how good our industry gets at facilitating communication, there will never be a better way to communicate than by personal interaction.

It's this kind of added value that NXTcomm offers attendees, starting with CEOs and other high-level executives and extending to purchasers, comptrollers, media, regulators, legislators, analysts and other key industry players. I hope to see you in June.

Thank you,
Grant Seiffert
President
TIA