New Techonology, Creativity Top Agenda At ICT Exhibit In Philippines

MANILA, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / 01 Aug) - The Philippines’ largest annual ICT exhibit and conference will highlight a new focus on technology and creativity in 2008.

The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotion arm of the Department of Trade and Industry, said the event will highlight technology and creativity as important value propositions when taking ICT businesses in the global market.

The event, dubbed as “e-Services Philippines: 8th Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition” will be held on February 11-12 at the SMX Convention Center in Manila.

To underscore this, the fair will also feature best-of-breed players from sectors such as: business processes/knowledge-based offshore work; contact centers, creative e-services (digital animation, wireless application, games development); health information management; information technology outsourcing, e-nablers (companies that provide IT infrastructure); e-novators (schools/institutions with innovative IT projects); e-citizens (government agencies providing online, interactive & transactional services); and other e-services like IT solutions & project management, design services, engineering & graphic design.

The theme in 2008 focuses on new supplier geographies with unique service offerings specifically centers of excellence on specific ICT areas.

“Just in the last six months or so, we’ve seen a big shift in the marketplace in terms of awareness of the Philippines and the BPO sector opportunity. Of particular interest is the increased understanding of its potential for higher value BPO, KPO, and skills-based BPO work products, such as F&A,” said David Kinnear, president and CEO of DDC HRO and head of the BPO Council, a newly formed initiative of the Philippine-American Chamber of Commerce in New York and a joint initiative of the Chamber and the New York Trade Office and the Philippine Consulate General.

In a marked convergence of opinion following e-Services Philippines Conference 2007 in Manila, leading industry experts indicated their positive outlook for the Philippines’ growing role in the global BPO sector and the opportunity for economic growth this will create.

Jojo Aquino, managing director of NeoIT concurs in the upside for F&A, “F&A is the next big wave for the Philippines. Captive centers in the country have long done accounting-related work but the growth of 3rd party providers supporting international clients needs to be faster.”

“The rapid growth of the BPO industry in the Philippines is a result of highly successful explorations by US business in the past 5 years. The effectiveness of the Philippine workforce in handling customer service, HR, IT services and other functions shows that supporting US business needs from this country is the right thing to do,” noted Russ Metcalf, managing director of NeoIT.

From the past few years, the number of jobs in the BPO has jumped from just 2,000 to over 200,000 with a 48% increase in activity in the last year alone. Of particular significance also to the growth of the Philippines’ overall economy is the 3-4 additional jobs created for every one BPO job – with attractive growth anticipated in all support sectors.

By 2010, the industry is projected to grow to US$12.4 billion and increase its workforce to 920,000.

“e-Services Philippines is an opportunity to convene together the Philippines’ best and brightest from the ICT sector as well as leaders and stakeholders from the international ICT community,” according to Trade Assistant Secretary Fe Agoncillo-Reyes, also executive director of CITEM.

Past key speakers for e-Services Philippines were Ralph Schonenbach of the Trestle Group, UK and Kiran Karnik of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), India ; Chris Sacca, Google senior exec and founder of GoogleTalk; Avinash Vashistha, author of “Offshore Nation”; Chris Beshouri of McKInsey; Eisaku Oshima, president of WeServ Japan; Nigel Roxburgh, founding director of National Outsourcing Association (UK).

It was also the venue for the C-Level Summit in 2006, an international networking event for leading C-Level (e.g. CEO, CTO, CFO) The show, Agoncillo-Reyes, said is also an opportunity for “best-of-breed” ICT players from Asia to promote their products, network, and develop partnerships with leading global companies.

The e-Services Philippines Conference will have presentations of buyers of outsourcing services from banking, telecommunications, and IT sectors, BPO service providers (voice, non-voice and IT outsourcing), international consulting and research groups. It will also present case studies from the Philippines, India, Asia, Central/Eastern Europe, and Latin America.

As part of the show’s international promotions and activities, best-of breed players from the Philippine software development industry and wireless applications participated in Software Development Expo in Japan and CommunicAsia Singapore.

Following this are: e-Services Philippines business mission in the United States and Canada as well as the Philippine participation in Games Convention Asia in Singapore for the country’s best-of-breed game development companies and in American Health Information Management Association Convention & Exhibit in the United States for medical transcription.

The trade event is supported by Philippine industry associations namely Animation Council of the Philippines, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Philippine Business Processing Association, Contact Center Association of the Philippines, Design Process Council, Medical Transcription Industry Association of the Philippines, and Philippine Software Industry Association, according to PRWeb.