Marketing Maestro Brings World to Busan
Boasts Biggest Scale in Quality, Quantity, Bringing $156 Million Worth of Services
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The "ITU Telecom Asia 2004", also known as the "Global IT Olympics", will be held in Busan from Sept.7-11. The Organizing Committee Chairman, Yang Seung, is usually a very busy man as president of Tongmyung Information College, but he rolled up his sleeves for the successful hosting of the biannual global exhibition. He has set aside most of his time for the last couple of years to attract the show to Busan. And he worked even harden for the successful hosting after Busan was decided as the host city. To invite more foreign companies to the event, Yang visited a number of Asian, African and European nations. Korea IT Times met with him to hear about it all.
by Lee Kwang Jae, Staff Reporter, svoxpop@ittimes.co.kr
Q: What is the meaning of hosting the Busan ITU 2004
A: Busan's efforts to attract the global IT show to the city date bank to 2000. The municipal government expects the show to inform visitors of the superior level of the domestic IT industry and make a foothold to help Busan's IT industry make the jump to the next level. The city estimates the show will earn more than \180 billion worth of service business and inject fresh vigor into the regional economy.
Q: Global IT firms are in financial woes; so are their domestic counterparts. Rumors that participants will diminish are making the rounds. Please tell us about the preparation processes.
A: It is true that the operations of global telecommunicationsrelated firms have been sluggish, having been affected by the economic slump. However, China, the biggest IT market, is It is true that the operations of global telecommunicationsrelated firms have been sluggish, having been affected by the economic slump. However, China, the biggest IT market, is very enthusiastic about participating in the exhibition. Since the scale of the event will be great in terms of quality and quantity compared with former ones, all of the expected participants will show up. The Busan ITU Organizing Committee drew up the master plan for the event as soon as it was inaugurated in January. In May, it dispatched delegations to Japan, China and Hong Kong to promote the show and held domestic explanatory sessions by inviting officials of foreign embassies to Korea and representatives from foreign IT companies operating here. At the same time, it sent a promotional mission to the ITU Telecom Africa 2004 held in early May.
Q: With the Busan ITU just around the corner, what is your strategy to encourage participation of more companies
A: The ITU secretarial office will strengthen promotional activities centered on former participating companies. The Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) will have Korean ambassadors to foreign countries meet with telecommunications ministers and company CEOs in each stationed area. Promotional activity is being made through global enterprises' local branches and target marketing is being done utilizing I-Part and other overseas networks. To encourage participation by established domestic companies, taskforces were formed to lure 20 IT-related organization and umbrella bodies.
Q: What is the key selling point of Busan ITU and what are you stressing for the successful hosting
A: This event will be attended by about 500 related firms, a lot more than the 319 firms that participated in the previous show in Hong Kong. The facility of the exhibition venue at BEXCO will also be outstanding, with 1,000 wired LAN and 1,500 wireless LAN circuits being built. At this event, there will be a Korea Pavilion to be led by the MIC and a Busan IT Pavilion to be displayed by regional IT firms. Tight collaboration between the central government and Busan will be kept through to the end of Busan ITU. I am confident that this show will be the best, from nose to tail.
