Incheon, the second largest port city of Korea and host to Incheon International Airport on Yeongjong Island in the West Sea, is making its presence felt again by hosting a major international event on information technology in late August.
ITC 2009, an international information technology event, will be held in Incheon. ITC stands for Incheon International Information Technology Communication. This year's event, the eighth in a row, will be held at Songdo Convensia, a convention center in Songdo, Incheon from August 26, Wednesday, to Saturday the 29th.
ITC 2009 will be held during another major international event hosted by the Incheon Metropolitan City Government - the Incheon Global Fair & Festival 2009 (www.incheonfair.org) which will be held for 80 days in Songdo from August 7 until October 25. Some 500 cities and 1,500 enterprises from about 100 countries are expected to take part in the global fair and festival.
ITC 2009 is attracting so much attention because other international events, such as the 2009 Asia Pacific Cities Summit (APCS), a summit of mayors from the Asia-Pacific region, will be held in the city on September 15-17 after the ITC event comes to a close. A World Environmental Forum and an Urban Regeneration Forum will also be held. Therefore, ITC 2009 will likely establish itself as a well-acclaimed international forum, with various other major international events being held almost concurrently like side shows.
Under the theme Experience Tomorrow Today, ITC 2009 is aimed at enhancing Korea's status as an IT power, as well as playing the leading role in Korea's global IT events. Organizers expect this year's event to provide global business opportunities, present a future vision for an ideal IT-related life, set an example for B2B exhibitions, and suggest a fusion technology vision.
ITC 2009 will be held by the Ministry of Knowledge Economy and the Incheon Metropolitan City Government and is organized by the Incheon Information Technology Industry Promotion Agency (IITPA, www.itc.or.kr) under the joint sponsorship of the Electronic Times and Kyeongin Ilbo daily newspapers. Organizers expect that some 7 million visitors will come to see the event. In efforts to boost exports and ease the manpower shortage for small and medium-sized enterprises, ITC 2009 will also open a Job Fair during the event.
During the ITC 2009 event, IT products and technologies will be on display to visitors and export negotiations will be held for potential buyers from 11 countries. Given China's increasing influence in the global market, organizers will set up China Hall for some 30 businesses based in Shenzhen, China to expand business opportunities with China.
Organizers will focus on four categories for IT exhibitions - information and communications, including digital equipment, IPTV and DID; digital content and software, including mobile content, console and online games; next-generation technologies, including RFID/USN and WiBro; and fusion IT technologies, including green IT, PLM, u-health, and u-life.
