TEL AVIV — Two days into Internet World Israel 2001 organizers were still talking up the event, but many exhibitors said it was smaller than last year’s. The three-day event, which features displays from more than 170 exhibitors, ends today.
Dahlia Pelled, chief executive officer of People and Computers, organizers of the event, said that 23,000 people had registered for this year’s Internet World, with more than 1,000 new registrants on Sunday alone. According to one estimate, more than 30,000 people attended in 2000.
E-net director of International Business Development Sarah Crawford said she believes the event has drawn a similar sized crowd to a year ago.
She said that the organizers had taken great care to ensure that the event draws a quality audience.
“Internet World is not for the general public, but for business professionals,” Pelled said. “According to our records, approximately 60 percent of attendees are high-tech professionals. The other 40 percent are in management.”
Pelled said that the event has proven to be a big draw even during this time of crisis for many high-tech companies.
“Times are difficult for high tech. We believe the technology will continue in spite of all that,” she said.
Exhibitors will be showcasing innovations in the Internet, IT and eBusiness fields and range from big-name international corporations such as Microsoft, IBM and Oracle, to Israel-based companies such as Check Point, Sivan, Teldor and Yael Software.
As a sign of the times, many attendees were not only looking at corporate displays and collecting giveaways but also were handing out resumes to exhibitors.
“I’ve gotten more resumes than business cards,” one exhibitor said.
At the one-day job fair on the first day of the event, corporate headhunter booths outnumbered those of companies seeking employees.
For Israel Kleinberger of business-to-business online marketplace provider Effective Purchase, Internet World was as much a networking opportunity as a chance to improve their exposure.
“We’re here to speak with other companies in our field, and others,” Kleinberger says, “as well as to be seen.”
Besides business displays and presentations, Internet World featured more than a dozen mini-conferences, featuring lectures from major corporate players on the Internet scene.
One new feature for this year’s Internet World was eBtoB Live, a central exhibition that focuses on eCommerce and eMarketplaces. EBtoB Live is indicative of the changes in Internet World in response to changes in the face of the Internet itself, said Sarah Crawford, director of international relations for People and Computers.
“Internet World has been moving away from business-to-consumer in favor of business-to-business,” she said. “EBtoB Live is an outgrowth of an eBusiness conference we held in Tel Aviv in February.”
Also new at the event is a networking breakfast for venture capitalists and companies seeking funding, being held today.
Visit israel.internet.com’s exhibit at Internet World Israel 2001, Building 31B. We’ll give you a gift if you tell us you saw the reference on this website.
