More Information and Communications Technology (ICT) companies have started securing their space at this year’s annual West African International Telecommunications and Information Communication Technology Exhibition (W.Afri.Tel 2008).
World-class handsets manufacturer, Sony Ericsson and Nigeria’s largest CDMA operator, Starcomms; including information Technology (IT) solutions company, Netcom Africa; are among companies that have already booked and got their stands confirmed.
W.Afri.Tel, now in its eighth year, has been voted the most professional and best platform for showcasing ICT products, services and skills in the West African sub-region. However, the biggest challenge the organisers face yearly, is finding enough space for the growing interest in the show and the Nigerian ICT market, where the exhibition takes place.
Speaking on companies whose stands have been fully confirmed, Mr. Mkpe Abang, editor-in-chief of IT & Telecom Digest, the Sole Nigeria Agent for the show, said: “I can confirm that Sony Ericsson is one of the early birds. Sony Ericsson has, by confirming its stand and participation at W.Afri.Tel 2008 this early, displayed that it takes the Nigerian, West African, and African markets seriously, the markets that the company would want to identify with in pushing its products to the public.”
Abang also named other “early birds” to include Starcomms, as one of the companies whose stands have been confirmed.
“Starcomms’ stand has been confirmed; same goes for ACCAT, which is Nigeria’s leading telecom equipment supplier. Also, Africa’s leading Internet Protocol Communications provider, Netcom Africa, which won Best VSAT Company of the Year at NITTA 2007, has since got its stand confirmed.”
He named others to include Gilat Satcom, SkyVision, DCC Satellite and Networks, Transtector and ICell Integrated, among.
The organisers said they have received several requests for exhibition stands at this year’s W.Afri.Tel, which holds from June 3 to 5, at the New Expo Centre, Ocean View, Victoria Island, Lagos. Space offering, according to Abang, is on a first-come-first allocated basis.
“The interest is very high; but because space is so limited, we can only confirm a company’s stand after it has gone through the processes we have put in place before confirming a company’s participation. If we go by the number of companies that have collected forms for W.Afri.Tel 2008, it is more than three times the space available. So, we can only say a company is confirmed to participate once we receive its signed contract,” Abang clarified, saying in the next couple of weeks, more companies whose stands have been confirmed will be announced.
W.Afri.Tel was initiated and introduced by Exhibition Management Services of South Africa in 2001, and the first show took in June of that year. Since then, the exhibition has been holding every year in Lagos recording phenomenal growth and attendance with participation and visitor attendance more than doubling each successive year.
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