Snapshots from inside the TM Forum's Management World in Nice and outside in the sunny French Riviera

Sarah Thomas, Director, Women in Comms

May 16, 2013


The TM Forum's Management World made its triumphant return this year to Nice, France, this year where the skies were clear and sunny. The only bad weather was the oft-referenced digital storm brewing inside the Acropolis conference center.


It was hard to stay inside when the boats on the oceanfront were calling our names.
Back inside, Skype General Manager of Global Business Operations Neil Ward and TM Forum Chairman Keith Willetts begin an over-the-top courtship as Ward demands the carriers 'woo' him.
Sunbathers take in the beautiful scenery and get a free hot stone massage on the pebble-laden beach.
Near the Old Town of Nice, a Sunday market, motorcycles and tourists dot the Courthouse Square.
Pure mayhem broke out when the clock hit 1:00 p.m. and the free Microsoft Surface tablets were released to show attendees.
One attendee was so excited about his new tablet he couldn't see below the surface of the offer.
From a time before tablets, Apollo looks over Boulevard Massena in Old Town, Nice.
Couldn't ask for a better view or a bluer ocean.
Ericsson's analyst and press dinner Monday at La Reserve near Nice Port had a great ocean view and all the Kir you could want.
We stopped by Cannes, where people were already lining up for the annual film festival four days prior.
TM Forum couldn't convince any celebrities to come early for Management World, but it did wrangle in these performers on stilts.
Nice cars and high rollers were the norm in Monte Carlo, as were tourists taking pictures of the nice cars and high rollers.
Monte Carlo's annual car race, the Grand Prix, will take over the city before the end of the month. Again, no celebrities came early for Management World.
More stilts! Free Surfaces weren't Microsoft's only gimmick.
We brought the overwhelming scents of the Fragonard perfumery in Eze back to the show floor in Nice.
Goodbye, Nice; it's been Nice!

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About the Author(s)

Sarah Thomas

Director, Women in Comms

Sarah Thomas's love affair with communications began in 2003 when she bought her first cellphone, a pink RAZR, which she duly "bedazzled" with the help of superglue and her dad.

She joined the editorial staff at Light Reading in 2010 and has been covering mobile technologies ever since. Sarah got her start covering telecom in 2007 at Telephony, later Connected Planet, may it rest in peace. Her non-telecom work experience includes a brief foray into public relations at Fleishman-Hillard (her cussin' upset the clients) and a hodge-podge of internships, including spells at Ingram's (Kansas City's business magazine), American Spa magazine (where she was Chief Hot-Tub Correspondent), and the tweens' quiz bible, QuizFest, in NYC.

As Editorial Operations Director, a role she took on in January 2015, Sarah is responsible for the day-to-day management of the non-news content elements on Light Reading.

Sarah received her Bachelor's in Journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She lives in Chicago with her 3DTV, her iPad and a drawer full of smartphone cords.

Away from the world of telecom journalism, Sarah likes to dabble in monster truck racing, becoming part of Team Bigfoot in 2009.

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