Nice Return for TMF Show?

9:25 AM -- Many of the companies that regularly exhibit at the TM Forum 's annual Management World shindig are preparing for just one more year at the show's new home of Dublin, convinced that the event will be returning to its spiritual home of Nice, France.

The show, attended by around 3,500 services and software executives each year and a key networking opportunity for Service Provider Information Technology (SPIT) folk, was located in Nice for more than 10 years, but then suddenly (and to the surprise of many) shifted to Dublin in 2011 and is being held there again this year. (See Dublin, Not Nice.)

But the inaugural Dublin event, while still attracting a sizeable crowd and having a generally positive "buzz," generated a fair amount of negative feedback, particularly about the venue (though the weather didn't help, either). (See Mgmt World: Here's That Rainy Day, Mgmt World: Dublin Delight and Mgmt World: Obama's Blustery Day.)

Now the SPIT gossip grapevine suggests the show, the biggest in the telecom software calendar, could shift back to the French Riviera (and into new conference facilities in Nice) as soon as 2013.

In the words of one OSS executive, it could be a case of "Nice to see you, to see you Nice!" (although you need to be a Brit to get that cultural reference...)

That's a move that would likely be greeted warmly by most sponsors, exhibitors and attendees alike.

The shift to Dublin was never popular with most SPIT folk and certainly when we spoke with people during this year's Mobile World Congress event about the potential of an early Dublin exit for Management World, there were no dissenters.

The TM Forum said recently that no decision has been taken about the location of the event for 2013, but we can expect to find out where next year's event will be held during the upcoming show.

I'd be surprised if it reverted back to Nice, but at the same time you wouldn't hear any complaints from this annual attendee...

— Ray Le Maistre, International Managing Editor, Light Reading