IT.biz loses fizz

Bangalore, Oct 18, DHNS: Deccan Herald

 

BangaloreIT.biz, once considered the flagship event of the state’s growing IT industry, appears little more than a pale shadow of its past.

The event, inaugurated on Tuesday in the city by former President A P J Abdul Kalam, has been marked by steady decline in numbers and little interest from the industry it claims to represent.

The number of delegates has fallen from 6,000 at its peak to mere 1,000 this year. Though the 130 exhibitors may be numerically the same as last year, most of them are small and lesser known names.

It was a far cry from the event that kicked off in 1997 to provide a platform for a fledgling industry eager to showcase its potential. The initial editions also lured several onlookers who were mesmerised by the sudden spurt of the city’s high-tech industry.

G Krishna Kumar, director-engineering at the Bangalore branch of a multinational, said the industry has lost interest in IT.biz. “Not many of the 500 people in our Bangalore office wouldn’t even know that the event is starting today,” he said. Organisers have attempted to re-brand the event to make it more appealing for the business sector, rechristening it from Bangalore IT.in and later Bangalore IT.biz. A former official of I-flex said the major draw of the event in the past was conferences.

“We attended many editions as they drew senior officials of important banks, our target customers. But as the quality of conferences deteriorated and the participation thinned, we stopped attending IT.biz,” he said. Krishna said unlike Nasscom conferences which are organised around specific issues, IT.biz remains a generic event offering little value to participants.
A Nasscom event organiser speaking on the condition of anonymity said it was unfair to compare a state government event with Nasscom conferences. “Nasscom is a member-driven organisation. It works closely with members in deciding the conference themes, agenda and speakers. As members pay hefty fee, they have high expectations, which would have be met.”

“The event organisers should improve their act before IT.biz becomes a painful annual ritual. Bangalore is India’s biggest IT brand. The industry here deserves a better organised event than IT.biz,” he said.