Record Attendance At Showcase

Tech Pacific’s Showcase 2001, a road show offering the IT industry the chance to catch up on all the latest offerings, has been hailed as the most successful event of its kind in New Zealand with a record attendance of over 5,000 people.

The interest from within the industry was astounding according to organisers Tech Pacific who say the numbers were more than double from last year’s Showcase. “Essentially the interest is there because the calibre of exhibitions, seminars and presenters is extremely high. We estimate that the computer product manufacturers invest around $5 million in Showcase, reflected in the highly qualified people present ranging from product and marketing managers to software developers and technical engineers. There were 48 exhibitors and 16 seminars held during Showcase 2001,” says Tony Butler, Managing Director, Tech Pacific.

“Showcase is much more than companies offering their latest sales pitch – it is more about providing first class information and education on the industry’s latest advancements with a chance to talk to key people. Many computer product companies attending Showcase bring with them overseas experts and industry veterans to present at the seminars. It is why so many people now agree they cannot afford to miss out on Showcase,” he adds.

Attendance records also showed that the show has become increasingly popular with business leaders who are attending Showcase as an opportunity to research possible investment in technology for their business.

“More than ever Showcase is an event for people who seriously want to be up with the play. It is seen by those attending as an opportunity to make valuable business contacts and to get a thorough update on this very fast-changing environment,” says Mr Butler.

Showcase presented an extensive range of new products and, in particular, the new Cisco IP Phone created considerable interest. Due to be introduced to the New Zealand market shortly, this second-generation IP phone brings state-of-the-art technology to voice communications systems allowing for the consolidation of data and voice into a single network infrastructure. The new IP Phone 7960 has added the feature of a colour LCD and video conferencing facility and is expected to be very popular among business executives.

The latest developments in wireless data were a strong focus of Showcase this year. Both Compaq and Nokia presented seminars on wireless mobility in the workforce. Among the many new wireless products and applications demonstrated at Showcase was Toshiba’s in-built Wireless Connectivity-ready laptops, Cisco’s wireless local-area network (LAN) and D-Link with its Wireless and Broadband products and their convergence with other technologies.

“The feedback we received from Showcase was terrific,” says Mr Butler. “We are aware that the talk among the industry is that attending this event is extremely worthwhile, indeed it is essential. We are already working on next year’s Showcase and we have every confidence that it will be better, bigger and most definitely an event not to be missed,” he says.

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