THE ICT WORLD IS COMING TO MALAYSIA

Related events to be held in conjunction with WCIT 2008
will see a congregation of acclaimed ICT speakers & delegates

Kuala Lumpur: Come May 14 to 24 this year, the ICT world will gather in Malaysia for the largest series of events on information and communications technology (ICT) anchored by the 16th World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2008) and involving 13 other Related Events.

Termed as the Olympics of ICT, WCIT 2008 is a premier global ICT gathering that congregates global leaders from various sectors such as business, government and academia to impact economic and social development through the exchange of ideas and policies on technology.

The theme “Enable, Empower and Enrich”, mirrors the potential and opportunities the event provides to enable businesses, empower societies, and enrich economies.

Collectively, WCIT 2008 and its Related Events will attract 50,000 people to Kuala Lumpur including 8,000 delegates and 42,000 expo visitors from over 80 countries as well as more than 100 eminent speakers.

These Related Events are:
· WCIT peer event, International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Terrorism’s World Cyber Security Summit, or IMPACT WCSS
· United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID)
o UN-GAID Steering Committee Meeting & UN GAID Strategy Council, Advisors & Champions Meeting
o UN-GAID Global Forum on Access and Connectivity; and Innovative Funding Mechanism
· Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) E-Governance Asia Forum
· MSC Malaysia International Advisory Panel (IAP) Meeting
· World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Annual General Meeting
· Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) Plenary Meeting
· Mastering IT Project Management (MITPM) 2008
· Grid Computing Conference (GCC)
· Cyber Development Corps (CDC) Strategic Alliances Programme
· Mobile Monday Global Forum
· PC Fair International 2008
o PIKOM Software & Services Showcase (PS3)
o WCIT Expo
Organized by various top ICT bodies in Malaysia, these Related Events held in conjunction with WCIT 2008 share similar goals and missions, which aim to address several critical socio-economic and business-oriented issues, promote development and enhance policy-making in relation to ICT, education, innovation, societal changes, economic boosting and global networking.

Furthermore, for the first time ever, WCIT 2008 is introducing an online business matching portal, which will provide opportunities to generate more than 2,000 structured business-to-business (B2B) meetings, business-to-government (B2G) and business-to-industry (B2I) meetings involving participation from the event’s corporate partners, exhibitors, delegates and Related Events organizers.

WCIT 2008 Chairman, and also Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for MDeC, Dato’ Badlisham Ghazali said: “As WCIT 2008 and its Related Events approaches, we are gearing up for one of the largest global ICT gatherings ever. This gives us an opportunity to place Malaysia on the international ICT map and also provide the worldwide recognition that Malaysia is now a serious ICT player. Furthermore this event provides a greater platform to showcase Malaysian companies as well as providing global networking opportunities for Malaysian ICT players.”

“Consequently through WCIT 2008 and its Related Events, we would like to reiterate the nation’s vision for ICT as an engine of growth that can be integrated into their daily lives, and hence live up to the nation’s goal of creating a knowledge-based population and economy,” said Dato’ Badlisham.

Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (PIKOM), together with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) Malaysia, are proud to be given the honor to jointly organize WCIT 2008, the flagship event of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA), a consortium of 73 international ICT organizations and its members comprised more than 90% of the global IT market.

International Multilateral Partnership Against Cyber Terrorism’s World Cyber Security Summit, or IMPACT WCSS
IMPACT is the world’s first multilateral public-private sector collaborative institution against cyber-terrorism. IMPACT serves as a global platform that brings together governments of the world, the industry and academia to enhance the capability of the global community to prevent, defend and respond to cyber threats. The inaugural IMPACT WCSS encompasses the first meeting of the IMPACT International Advisory Board, ministerial roundtable, plenary sessions, technology tracks, the MYNIC Seminar – Internet and DNS Security, APTLD (Asia Pacific Top Level Domain Association) Members Meeting and Training Workshops, and INFOSEC, an information security conference by CyberSecurity Malaysia.

United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (UN-GAID)
A global forum and platform for multi-stakeholder policy dialogue on the use of ICT to enhance the achievement of internationally agreed development goals, notably reduction of poverty.

Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) E-Governance Asia Forum
CTO is the specialized body of the Commonwealth to tackle ICT issues, including bridging the digital divide within Commonwealth and beyond.
MSC Malaysia International Advisory Panel (IAP) Meeting
The IAP members comprise world’s most influential ICT leaders, thinkers and researchers who provide counsel to the Malaysian Government in shaping MSC Malaysia.
World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Annual General Meeting
Annual General Meeting for World Information Technology and Services Alliance.

Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO) Plenary Meeting
Internal Meeting and In-country visit for Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization members.

Mastering IT Project Management (MITPM) 2008
Asia Pacific’s largest annual platform to share the latest technologies on Project Management in IT and Telecommunications.

Grid Computing Conference (GCC)
GCC offers a platform for users, researchers, developers, and solution providers to accelerate grid adoption. Representative from international forum bodies like Open Grid Forum (OGF), Enabling Grids for E-sciencE (EGEE), Korea Institute of Science and Technology Information (KISTI) and other local grid entities will share their views and experiences in this event.

Cyber Development Corps (CDC) Strategic Alliances Programme
Cyber Development Corps (CDC) is a platform for Regional Youth Leaders to affirm their interest, plan and commitment in executing the CDC initiatives of UN-GAID; a global outreach programme based on the spirit of volunteerism to help lesser-developed nations and communities; benefit from global ICT, infrastructure and resources; and help enhance their national development plans towards becoming equal participants in the global information-knowledge society.

Mobile Monday Global Forum
Organised for the first time outside the founding city of Helsinki, this 4th annual Global Summit will bring together a global community of over 70,000 mobile industry visionaries and developers generating genuine business alliances through cooperative relationships with mobile operators globally. The information packed event promises to explore future developments and provide valuable insights into the hottest topics surrounding mobile games, music, multimedia, messaging, TV, advertising and marketing. The conference will cover the latest business models and strategies from content owners, content aggregators, operators, agencies and technology companies focused on consumer content. MoMo Malaysia, officially launched on 25th April 2006, is the local chapter of MoMo which is the world’s leading mobile community.
PIKOM PC Fair International 2008
Consumer cash-and-carry exhibition featuring the best bargains for ICT hardware and software. Inaugural meeting of the board of governors (due to be appointed by the UNESCO) for the International Centre for South-South Cooperation in Science, Technology and Innovation.

PIKOM Software & Services Showcase (PS3)
PS3 (pronounced as PS cube) provides a platform and competitiveness for software and services organizations, to showcase their products and services which in turn, creates the opportunity for the business visitors of PIKOM PS3 to align and match these with their business needs. Moreover, the add-on advantage is that, it also provides room for business matching on the local and international level for these organizations.