Welcome to PR Vibes™, created by Calysto Communications to provide you with key insights into the publications and events in the telecommunications industry.
The telecom market is changing rapidly, and the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is changing right along with it. In February of this year, TIA decided to launch a new event called TIA 2011: Inside the Network, which takes place on May 17-20, 2011 at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. TIA 2011: Inside the Network will bring together members of the telecommunications and information and communications technology (ICT) industries to confront the challenges of security, reliability and sustainability of the network in the coming years.
To help you better understand the mission of the new show, we asked Grant Seiffert, president of TIA, to provide us with some insight.
Is TIA 2011: Inside the Network meant to replace SUPERCOMM?
We do not consider TIA 2011: Inside the Network to be a replacement for SUPERCOMM. TIA 2011 is a first-of-its-kind industry event designed specifically for those companies with a stake in shaping the converged network of today and tomorrow.
The event focuses on addressing the needs of the converged industry – from a business, strategic and technological perspective. Our goal is to give the industry a place to learn, to conduct business and to interact.
The mission of TIA 2011: Inside the Network is to create an annual gathering place for the industry – a place for our members to do business. We see a critical need for the industry to come together around one converged network that isn’t necessarily defined as “wireless” or “wireline.”
How is this show different from SUPERCOMM?
There are a lot of trade shows out there, and we wanted to make the decision to attend ours an easy one for industry players by providing a forum focused on one thing: the network. We are working have worked very closely with TIA members and past SUPERCOMM exhibitors because we wanted to hear determine what they wanted from their ideal business and learning event – so we could deliver on those needs.
For exhibitors, we’re creating a forum that will enable them to easily reach their target customers. To help bring those customers to the event and to give our exhibitors an unbeatable return on investment, we’ve established some new, highly targeted marketing conduits.
For example, we’ve expanded the targeted customer base for the show beyond just telcos. Of course, our exhibitors want to see traditional telecom service providers there. But a large potential group of new customers, utilities, has also opened up due to the smart grid initiative.
In addition, tThe event is in Dallas, home to more than 1,200 technology companies, and we are working through local technology groups in Dallas to promote the event. And Dallas is not only tech-friendly, it is central to all U.S. locations and provides easy access for Latin American visitors as well.
What other steps are you taking to market the event?
In an effort to better serve all our communities, we are creating working relationships with a number of key strategic partners, who can help us deliver our targeted audiences. These include OPASTCO, NTCA, RCA, NRTC, CEA and ITU, among others. Within the media, we have strategic alliances with Penton/Connected Planet and Decisive Media/Telecom TV, to cover both print and broadcast media. Other supporters include the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley, JSI Capital Advisors and Moss Adams – all key groups to attracting specific audience market segments.
What kind of attendees and exhibitors are you targeting with TIA 2011: Inside the Network?
On the buyer side, we’re focusing primarily on attracting the “creators” of the network, which includes network operators, service providers and utilities. The list of potential attendees is long. It ranges from smaller rural carriers to large nationwide carriers. It includes both wireline and wireless telecom providers. It includes cable and broadcast companies. And it includes other players such as application developers, over the top (OTT) service providers as well as government and healthcare organizations. And we’re providing content that will deliver valuable information to those on the business side – including CEOs, CTOs, COOs, CFOs and CMOs – as well as engineers and IT professionals.
Our speaker roster will include a wide range of industry types, including companies such as Google and Yahoo!. We want them to talk about their demands on the network, which is a break from what we’ve done in the past. The reality is that the explosive growth in mobile, video and data has driven many of the challenges companies are facing today in terms of network security, capacity and infrastructure.
On the exhibitor side, you’ll see many traditional companies – including many TIA members – that offer solutions such as mobile backhaul, network management, data centers, security and storage as well as those companies that have entered the whole smart grid arena and are offering automated meter reading and smart devices. Again, TIA 2011: Inside the Network covers everything related to the network.
What will the show schedule look like?
Our Summit kicks off May 17, the day before the exhibit floor opens, with a full day of sessions. On May 18 and 19, attendees can attend educational sessions followed by our Vision Keynote Series in the morning. Once the Vision Keynotes are over, the exhibit floor opens. We scheduled the Summit sessions during hours that do not conflict with the exhibit floor in order to maximize the traffic on the show floor.
We’ll also be integrating our TIA Spring Policy Summit – our annual event where we bring congressional leaders and lawmakers together with industry leaders – with TIA 2011: Inside the Network. In addition, a few of the TIA standards committees will also be hosting meetings at the event.
How is TIA 2011: Inside the Network different from other shows out there?
TIA 2011: Inside the Network expands exponentially on the branding opportunities offered by traditional shows.
One exciting component we’ve added to the show is the Digital Marketplace, a virtual trade show, which will take place from April through June of 2011. This online format enables companies to expand their reach internationally and for extended periods of time, while having access to real-time leads and information on interested customers.
What are the advantages of participating in the Digital Marketplace virtual trade show?
The Digital Marketplace gives companies a low-risk way to get their feet wet in the virtual trade show environment.
In the Digital Marketplace, companies will have a virtual booth where they can post videos and presentations and chat in real-time. They can see who’s online at any given time and send them a message. Just as a live event has keynotes and educational sessions, so will the Digital Marketplace, offering flexibility for prospective customers to learn and interact with presenters.
From the perspective of the association, the Digital Marketplace allows us to provide an added value to the TIA membership because if members are already exhibiting at the live event, they will receive a free booth in the virtual event.
What should attendee and exhibitors expect to get out of TIA 2011: Inside the Network?
They should expect to leave with new insight into the future of the one converged network…and with a satisfying number of new business leads and new ideas.
We’re also working with the Telecom Council of Silicon Valley, which is hosting an Innovation Showcase on the show floor and will be bringing in start-up companies and venture capitalists from the California region. As part of th
e Innovation Showcase, we will issue awards to companies that demonstrate superior technical, commercial, operational and market innovation.
We also have some other exciting things on tap, so stay tuned for more details in the months to come. We invite people to come the Web site, not only to learn more about the event, but to read industry insights from our guest bloggers. To learn more, visit: http://www.tia2011.org/.