ITC 2008: Incheon International Information Technology Communication Exhibition' is a window showing what the future will be like in the information and communication fields. The exhibition has played significant roles to bridge the gap between high techs and common people who have failed to keep up with the evolution of technology. The 7th show, under a slogan of "Future For Today," will mark the beginning of a new chapter. The show is to be held at the Incheon International Convention Center in Songdo, Incheon Metropolitan City, west of Seoul, the capital of South Korea. The convention center, or Songdo Conventia, was designed to attract international conventions to Incheon and is well known for its world-class facilities and systems. Incheon had no convention centers of this kind until now, so in previous years, the show had to remain a small, regional event. 'ITC 2008' will be held for three days beginning November 13 under the sponsorships of The Ministry of Knowledge Economy, Incheon City, KOTRA and the Incheon IT Industry Promotion Agency.
This year's show is huge in terms of volume and quality. For the past six years, the show failed to draw attention from all across the nation due to the lack of a big convention center and a big budget. This year however, with the full support of Incheon City, will welcome almost all of the domestic ITC companies, big and small. The organizers anticipate that it will boost regional business in the ITC and draw business counterparts from abroad. They hope that the combination of Songdo and the ITC convention will change the image of Incheon from a coastal city to a high tech city. Incheon City plans to help the show grow to become a world-famous ITC event. With the help of KOTRA, the ITC show will become a place where companies from Korea and abroad meet to talk about importing and exporting devices and technologies. KOTRA is an organization that helps business circles get brand-new information on goods and companies, and that connects them on a business basis. It has a global network and the manpower to do so. KOTRA is participating in this show for the first time since 2002.
USN is a system that senses information and connects it with banks. When USN is connected with your mobile phone, it will let you know when payments are due and how much money was taken from your account when you bought groceries. The smart home section deserves your visit. A computerized home will be a dream come true. It will be interesting to see how a voice-sensor system turns on the TV and opens doors. TVs and refrigerators will be different from the ones we are used to. On TV monitors, you can check emails, communicate with your friends, and enjoy online banking services. There will be a refrigerator that senses what you need to buy and what spoiled foods need to be thrown away. The system that connects home and workplace will be at the show too. Lights will be turned off by your voice. New mobile phones and devices will seduce you to buy one. New designs and functions will make you say "Wow." Intelligent robots will make your children cry out wanting one. A robot will bark like a dog and read some fairy tales to your children. And it will clean the floor of your living room while you are out. In the wonderful show, more than 200 companies, including 50 from abroad, have already bought 300 booth tickets to show their business models. The host plans to make it bigger next year by inviting 400 companies, including 100 foreign firms. KOTRA will help the regional companies in lack of information on overseas buyers find joint-venture partners.
Welcoming Address
by Ahn Sang-soo, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City
Incheon City is emerging as a hub of new power engines to lead the growth of the Korean Peninsula in the 21st Century. Incheon is a dynamic city that is attracting attention from people at home and abroad. Focusing on the economic free zones, Incheon is changing into a state-ofthe- art international city by organically connecting such advanced industries as IT, BT and R&D with financing, tourism and business, and offering globallevel medical, educational and cultural services. Based on this unlimited possibility of development, we plan to suggest the future development vision of the top-class city Incheon by hosting World City EXPO 2009 and the 2014 Asian Games and show Incheon's potential as an international city representing the Republic of Korea. I am very glad that Incheon will host the ITC 2008 exhibition where we can seek new direction for development under these circumstances. I sincerely hope ITC 2008 will provide participating enterprises with great opportunities and offer valuable space for Incheon citizens to experience advanced information and communication. Also, I firmly believe that ITC 2008 will be a valuable place for foreign institutions and buyers to recognize Incheon IT companies' superiority and herald their own countries' IT industries. Finally, I extend great thanks once again to domestic and foreign businessmen and other people concerned for their efforts to make ITC 2008 successful.
