Geneva wins back ITU's global expo

Stuart Corner
Monday, 03 April 2006 19:36

IT Industry - Strategy

After hosting every one of the ITU's Telecom World global expos since their inception in 1971 only to lose the 2006 event to Hong Kong, Geneva will again host Telecom World in 2009.
ITU secretary-general Yoshio Utsumi, said the decisio had been reached following an evaluation of all bids received and based on a recommendation of the ITU Telecom board.

Cities and veneus in six countries had originally applied to host the event but two withdrew their offer during the process. The four finalists were Birmingham, Dubai, Geneva, and Paris Nord

Utsumi said: "The Geneva authorities have made rigorous efforts to underline their support for the event, and have provided the most cost-effective package for the exhibitors, participants and organiser alike."

Geneva's bid includes the implementation of a mechanism to control the management and price of hotel rooms through cost control measures and the removal of any minimum-stay requirements.

The ITU says the decision to award the 2009 event to Geneva was made on the basis of over 20 criteria including a financial offer covering both the overall costs to exhibitors (such as hotel accommodation, rental rates and sub-contractor rates) and the fulfilment of a series of technical requirements including the quality of the infrastructure, the suitability of the venue, as well as the overall attractiveness of the location assessed through an independently conducted survey of Telecom stakeholders.

"The decision also takes into account the need to respond to the ICT industry to see the event move to another major ICT market after Hong Kong, the international character of Geneva as a hub for international organisations and businesses and its central geographic location, at the heart of Europe and equidistant from the markets of Asia and the Americas," the ITU said.