TIA Jumps Back Into the Event Pool

The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) is jumping back into the event business with a Silicon Valley event in 2011, focusing on innovation in telecom and computing.

Yes, the former Supercomm co-sponsor is going it alone. (See Supercomm 2010 'Shelved' by Owners.) The TIA is promising an annual event that combines live and virtual elements in a non-traditional manner. We won't know for sure about the "annual" part until 2012, of course.

TIA President Grant Seiffert said in a prepared statement that the new event will include "an integrated online exhibition that adapts to technology advances and global economic shifts, as well as to the changing needs and buying trends of the ICT industry."

Among the areas of focus for the new show are broadband technologies and applications, mobile/wireless, information technology, smart devices, and Smart Grid technology, Seiffert said.

Seiffert said TIA polled industry thought leaders to discover what they need from an event and will take those needs into account.

"Cost, return on investment, channels to market, innovation, and product launches are viewed in a new light, and TIA is following these trends to ensure that we control costs for exhibitors while increasing the value of business development and executive interactions," he said in the statement.

TIA membership includes telecom equipment and software makers that were the major exhibitors at Supercomm.

— Carol Wilson, Chief Editor, Events, Light Reading