UNI

Bangalore, Oct 31: Despite a slight drop in the number of visitors, the mega IT event 'Bangalore IT.in', held in the Silicon Valley of India for the ninth year in succession, succeeded in showcasing the giant strides Karnataka had made in the field of Information and Communication Technology.

The four-day exposition, hosted by the Karnataka Government and co-hosted by the Software Technological Parks of India (STPI),, attracted more than 70,000 people. The event also attracted over 250 IT companies, including world majors from 16 countries. As many as 14 State Governments and 18 foreign countries, represented by their companies, took part in the event. HP, IBM and HCL had partnered this programme as co-sponsors.

Trade delegations from Britain, Barcelona, Australia, New Zealand, Bavaria, China, Baltic, Taiwan and Germany participated in the exposition. Over 350 Indian and foreign delegates attended the conferences, trade seminars, CEO conclave and the Awards Nite.

Spread over 20,000 square metres, the exhibition hosted seven Focus Pavilions -- eNations, eStates, eSoftware, eHardware, eGaming, eCommunication and STPI. For the first time, WiMAX connectivity was introduced at the venue.

Briefing newspersons on this year's event, Karnataka IT Secretary M N Vidyashankar said the Government would from next year host 'Bangalore Nano.in', an expo highlighting the emerging technologies.

In a bid to encourage IT companies to set up units in tier-II and III cities, the Government would host an IT investor's meet in Belgaum next month, he added.

However, the biggest success of the expo was the 'IP Zone' which was introduced for the first time. ''The creation of IP Zone is perhaps the first step in the journey towards positioning India as a destination of choice for IP and development of global product companies from India. Motivated by this, IP-based companies, which have produced close to 5,000 patents in the country, have come together to form 'India IP Forum' to encash upon innovation in the country,'' STPI Director B V Naidu told reporters here.

He said the idea of IP Zone was conceived to help Indian companies position themselves at the world level and encourage them to advance to the next level.

Naidu said the event also highlighted the problems faced by the Small and Medium IT-based enterprises. The STPI and the Karnataka Government were seized of the matter and would extend all help to the firms to improve their performance. The main problem SMEs faced was that of human resources that was affecting its growth, he added.

Vidyashankar said that apart from IP Zone, Rural IT Quiz, which attracted 9.5 lac students from places other than Bangalore, was the highlight of the event. ''The exposition continues to provide excellent stage for interaction between Business to Business and Business to Government. We received lot of inputs from CEO enclave, which was attended by 850 top officials of IT firms,'' he added.