Bob Cohen
Information Technology Association of America
703-284-5301
bcohen@itaa.org
Carol Thompson
Austin 2006 WCIT, Board of
Advisors
President, Thompson Group
Past-chair, Greater Austin
Chamber of Commerce
Carol@thompsongroup.com
512-418-8869
AUSTIN
TEXAS SELECTED BY INTERNATIONAL IT PANEL TO HOST 2006 WORLD CONGRESS ON
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
“Olympics of Information Technology” Joins
Government and Industry Elite; Projected to Infuse $17 Million into Austin’s
Local Economy
ADELAIDE,
AUSTRALIA – March 1, 2002 – Today, Austin, Texas became the official 2006 Host
City for the 15th biennial World Congress on Information Technology
(WCIT) in a unanimous decision by the World Information Technology and Services
Alliance (WITSA). Described as the “Olympics of IT,” WCIT is the only global IT
event to attract luminaries from government, industry and academia to discuss
trends, innovations integrating IT between countries, companies and communities
in both emerging and established world markets. The conference will take place
in the recently expanded Austin Convention Center in May of 2006.
“Hosting the World Congress on Information Technology is an
opportunity for Austin to prove that it is an international business and
technology center,” said Austin Mayor Gus Garcia. “I congratulate the
volunteers of Austin WCIT 2006 for helping tell the world that Austin is the
best place to do business.”
“We
are thrilled that WITSA’s board of director’s awarded Austin, Texas the honor
of hosting this premier IT event,” said Harris Miller, president of the
Information Technology Association of America. “With more than 50 semiconductor
manufacturing companies, 95 computer manufacturing companies and 750 software
development companies, Austin is a leading center for IT. The city has the
attitude, expertise and infrastructure to deliver a world-class event. Austin
is also a compelling venue to visit because it is easily accessible from either
US coast, Canada and Latin America.”
During the next three years,
Austin’s WCIT 2006 organization will identify speakers and develop the
innovative program agenda for which the event is known. This year’s event, held
in Adelaide, Australia, included a keynote speech from former President Bill
Clinton about globalization in the 21st century, and a presentation
from author and futurist Dan Tapscott about competing in an age of
hypercapitalism. Topics from WCIT 2002 ranged from the convergence of devices,
access and economics to the impact of the human genome project on human
potential. Additional discussion included IT issues related to security,
intellectual property, trade facilitation, government procurement and knowledge
trade and transfer.
The success of Austin’s bid
was possible thanks to support from the City of Austin, Austin Software
Council, ITAA, Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, The IC2 Institute at The
University of Austin, and the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce. Sponsors
already include Andersen (Founding Sponsor), SBC Communications Inc. and Vinson
and Elkins (Founding Sponsor), as well as key support from Austin Ventures,
Webcrayon, Adelaide, Australia’s WCIT 2002 organization, and the
Austin-Adelaide Sister City Committee.
Editor’s Notes:
The 2004 World Congress on
Information Technology will be held in Athens, Greece.
About WCIT and WITSA
WCIT is the premier Information
Communication Technology conference of the World Information Technology and
Services Alliance (WITSA). Representing more than 97 percent of the world’s IT
market, WITSA is a consortium of 47 IT industry associations from economies
around the world. Founded in 1978,
and originally known as the World Computing Services Industry Association,
WITSA has increasingly assumed an active advocacy role in international public
policy issues affecting the creation of a robust global information infrastructure.
For more information, please visit www.witsa.org.
About ITAA
The Information Technology
Association of America (ITAA) provides global public policy, business
networking, and national leadership to promote the continued rapid growth of
the IT industry. ITAA consists of over 500 corporate members throughout the
U.S., and a global network of 41 countries' IT associations. The Association
plays the leading role in issues of IT industry concern including information
security, taxes and finance policy, digital intellectual property protection,
telecommunications competition, workforce and education, immigration, online
privacy and consumer protection, government IT procurement, human resources and
e-commerce policy. ITAA members range from the smallest IT start-ups to
industry leaders in the Internet, software, IT services, ASP, digital content,
systems integration, telecommunications, and enterprise solution fields. For
more information visit www.itaa.org or www.itaa.org/infosec.
About Austin 2006 WCIT
Austin 2006 WCIT is a
Texas-based non-profit organization founded by members of Austin’s public and
private sectors to continue the development of Austin as a premier
international IT center. The organization, in cooperation with the WITSA, ITAA
and ASC, will develop a conference that identifies IT trends and addresses
potential impacts on emerging and established world markets. Reflecting both
the innovative and collaborative nature of global IT business, the theme for
Austin WCIT 2006 is “Embracing New Directions.” For more information on WCIT
2006, please visit http://www.wcit2006.org/.
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