AITEC, the organiser of NetWorld+LANdaba, has this year opted to broaden the appeal of the trade show by targeting the business sector as well as a variety of vertical markets. According to general manager, Stephen Bozdan, the intention is to alter the perception that the exhibition is aimed primarily at the technocrats among us.
"If one analyses attendance at last year`s event," he points out, "there can be little doubt that the networking fraternity views NetWorld+LANdaba as its own - and so it should be." Interestingly, Bozdan says his analysis of attendance showed the 1996 event to be the first time significant numbers of corporate end-users - the people he describes as non-technocrats - visited the exhibition.
"Naturally," he explains, "if we want to grow the show we need to extend its appeal to this segment of visitors by encouraging exhibitors to profile existing sites and installations." Translating this wish into action, Bozdan has initiated a concerted effort to attract end-users from the wider business community to the 1997 exhibition. "The market is crying out for a forum aimed at the small- to medium-sized enterprise (SME) market," he says, "which is exactly the segment we are targeting."
Catering to this new audience, NetWorld+LANdaba `97 will expand upon the successful `Solution Trail` concept which worked so well in 1996. "The different technical trails that we introduced last year will continue," he explains, "and will be complemented with a series of `Business Solution Trails` targeted at specific industries."
Elaborating on this point, he says exhibitors are being encouraged to showcase examples of actual technology implementation in various sectors through these trails. "The concept is being well received because our exhibitors understand that case studies and demonstration of real installations are their most powerful sales tool - not to mention the additional publicity they will receive from being a part of the `Solution Trails`."
Quite apart from the additional exposure they will enjoy, he points out that exhibitors are fully aware of the fact that visitors to NetWorld+LANdaba `97 following specific `Solution Trails` are exactly the sort of qualified leads they have been asking for. "In this way," says Bozdan, "we expect the exhibition this year to come closer to fulfilling the requirements of exhibitors and visitors alike.
"By ensuring that the needs of SMEs and corporate networking specialists are seen to," he continues, "we keep the exhibitors happy on the one hand, and ensure that the visitors to NetWorld+LANdaba `97 leave the exhibition having achieved the goals they set out with."
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