Cairo: The Cairo Conference Center in Nasr City will host the 2008 Cairo Internet and Communication Technology (ICT) forum February 24-27. The forum, which has run annually since 1996 and is widely held to be the largest of its kind in the region, will operate on three levels tackling the business side of the ICT industry, the latest in technology, and will host a number of live debates over the four days. Over 150 local and international companies in the fields of telecommunications, networking, information technology, computing, electronics, systems integration, telecom operations, data carrying, banking and broadcast technology will exhibit their latest technology trends, services and products at the forum Among the exhibitors are banks like Piraeus and Arab Bank, telecommunications companies like TEData and LinkDotNet, and ICT magazines like MENA Business and IT Works magazine. The forum's Operations Manager Mohammed Hassan told Daily News Egypt that he expects this year's event to be the biggest yet, and is expecting several thousand visitors each day. "This is the major growth market in Egypt right now, he said. "There are more and more companies from this field setting up here and more people graduating with ICT-related degrees. We expect this to be a very big event. Although the event is primarily designed for companies to meet, share ideas and network, anyone with an interest in ICT is welcome, and ticket prices at LE10 per day or LE20 for a four day ticket make it accessible to a wide audience. According to Hassan the event has an obvious appeal for graduates and he hinted that there may be a bit of recruitment on the side. Dan Reese, an editor from ICT magazine, which will have an exhibition at the event, told Daily News Egypt that the forum is a good opportunity to network with other companies working in ICT and promote the magazine. "We will be publishing a 32-page issue each day of the conference and will be distributing them around the conference, he said. "It will be a good way to meet different people in the industry, and possibly find some advertising for the magazine at the same time. The Cairo ICT forum runs February 24 - 27 February visiting from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily. For more information go to www.cairoict.com
