Internet Expo opens in Zurich

A major Internet fair is underway in the city of Zurich. The show, now in its fourth year, is bigger than ever, with 400 exhibitors covering more than 9,000 square metres of floor-space.

A major Internet fair is underway in the city of Zurich. The show, now in its fourth year, is bigger than ever, with 400 exhibitors covering more than 9,000 square metres of floor-space.

The three-day fair is Switzerland’s second largest information technology (IT) exhibition after the Orbit in Basel, and the biggest players in the market are all there to try to sell their latest solutions, tools and services.

The show has a much more professional focus than Orbit and is aimed at company executives, Internet project leaders, webmasters and IT specialists. The event is organised by Exhibit AG and is becoming more and more important on the IT calendar.

“We have all the big players in the market like Microsoft, Compaq, IBM,” says Exhibit AG’s managing director, Rainer Artho, “And they will be showing the solutions for future technologies like WAP. And we’ll also have some exhibitors showing Internet TV access already.”

WAP is the technology which allows the Internet to be brought to the mobile phone, and has sparked a race among telephone manufacuters to get WAP phones on to the market.

Until Wednesday, companies at the show will display hardware and software designed to give companies the edge in the world of e-commerce, and there will be consultants on hand to dispense advice on the best solutions. Artho says the company that acts now will be well placed to benefit from the explosion of e-commerce in Switzerland.

“We are about a year to 18 months behind the US,” says Rainer Artho, “and the US is the leader in the development and use of the Internet. But we have a very good infrastructure. Most people have personal computers and Internet access at work, unlike Germany and France.”

Internet Expo also has a full seminar programme where experts in the field will discuss everything from how to set up a successful website, how to impress customers with e-marketing and e-branding and how to come up with the best Internet strategies.

By Michael Hollingdale