CEATEC JAPAN 2003 Event
The CEATEC JAPAN Organizing Committee announced that CEATEC JAPAN 2003 will be held at Makuhari Messe (Nippon Convention Center) in Chiba Prefecture for the 5-day period from October 7 to 11, under the sponsorship of the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA), the Communications and Information network Association of Japan (CIAJ) and the Japan Personal Computer Software Association (JPSA).
CEATEC JAPAN resulted from the merger of the Japan Electronics Show and COM JAPAN, two of Japan’s leading exhibitions in the fields of electronics, information &communications. Since it was held for the first time in 2000, the entire information technology (IT) industry has worked to make CEATEC JAPAN the ideal opportunity to announce up-to-the-minute information to a global audience. CEATEC JAPAN 2003, the fourth staging of the exhibition, will continue this industry wide effort.
Highly visible advances are being made in the field of digital network communications, including the launch of terrestrial digital television broadcasting in Japan’s three largest metropolitan areas in December this year, and the rapidly expanding use of broadband communication technologies.
The so-called ubiquitous network society, in which “anyone, anywhere, anytime” can communicate and access information over networks, is rapidly taking shape. Reflecting this trend, the national e-Japan Strategy II is promoting a new phase of development, with emphasis placed on the active usage of IT to realize a “vibrant, safe, impressive and convenient” society through the creation of new IT-based industries and markets.
CEATEC JAPAN 2003 is responding to these social trends through a new three-year management plan starting this year. The theme of this year’s exhibition, “Ubiquitous Community-Forward to the Next Stage,” also illustrates the growing importance of networked information and communications.
A primary concept of CEATEC JAPAN 2003 will be making the seamless ubiquitous network society easy to understand for all visitors. As part of this effort, the exhibition has been structured under two Stages and four Zones. The Digital Network Stage, focusing on digital equipment, network technologies and services, will be divided into the Home & Personal Zone and the Business & Society Zone. Exhibits in the Electronic Components, Devices & Industrial Equipment Stage will concentrate on the industrial side through the Electronic Components & Devices Zone and the Industrial Equipment Zone.
The CEATEC JAPAN Conference, a regular event at the exhibition, will take full advantageof the show’s industry orientation to offer unique insights and information on the newest trends by representatives of companies active in diverse IT-related fields. A total of 21 Keynote Speeches is planned, considerably more than in 2002, led by Hajime Sasaki,chairman of NEC Corporation, as well as chairman of the CEATEC JAPAN Organizing Committee, and also chairman of JEITA.
The Trend Sessions in the CEATEC JAPAN Conference will provide a look at recent movements in the areas of IT technologies, business and policies, while this year’s Special Sessions will be held under a wide variety of themes, from the environment and recycling to legal and regulatory issues in the IT business. The Conference will also offer sessions designed to provide up-to-date information closely linked with each exhibition Stage. In all, 140 sessions are planned, 32 more than at CEATEC JAPAN 2002, including the Software &Solution Track, Information Systems Track, Communications & Network Track, and Exhibitor Presentations and Seminars.
By clearly defining CEATEC JAPAN as a valuable opportunity for exhibitors to announce and present information about new technologies and products, the exhibition is being developed into a global-level event and one of the world’s leading exhibition media.
In a first for CEATEC JAPAN, this year two Special Guest Speeches will be held in the morning on October 7, the opening day of the exhibition. Nobuyuki Idei (Chairman and Group Chief Executive Officer of Sony Corporation), who has been involved in the formulation of the e-Japan Strategy II, will give a speech tentatively entitled “e-Japan StrategyII -Making Japan the Leader in the Network Society.” SAKAMURA Ken (Professor, the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the Graduate School of The University of Tokyo), a leader of the TRON Project to promote R&D related to ubiquitous computing environments, will speak on the subject of “Toward the Realization of the Ubiquitous Computing Environment”.
In addition, a variety of topical and informative special exhibits will be held. TheSatellite vs. Terrestrial-Digital Broadcasting Services, Whichever the BEST!? plaza will allow visitors to experience the full spectrum of digital broadcasting technologies and services, centered on terrestrial digital broadcasting. Using interactive demonstrationsof broadband communications services, the HATS Conference will introduce technology unification activities in Japan by the Telecommunication Technology Council (TTC). TheIPv6 Pavilion will provide an easy-to-follow introduction of how ubiquitous environments might develop in the era of broadband Internet connection and technologies such as IPv6(Internet Protocol Version 6). The latest trends and achievements in IT as an integral part of industry, society and lifestyles will be examined from a variety of angles in the IT Plaza.
The Business Matching Square will be set up on the exhibition site to assist both Japanese and foreign companies to realize new business opportunities at CEATEC JAPAN 2003, while the Next Style Showcase will be an entire booth turned into a personal space to portray the new lifestyle and working style concepts made possible by IT. Next Generation Challenging, a special program designed to introduce collaborative research activities involving the academic sector and industry, will also include a hands-on electronics workshop for young people. Shining the spotlight on the high-potential automotive electronics market, Telematics & Car Electronics will point out the newest car electronics trends and thoroughly examine developments in the field of telematics, or the merger of IT and automobiles.
Exhibitors are also planning a wide range of dynamic activities at CEATEC JAPAN 2003. As of July 24, a total of 377 companies and other organizations, including 124 exhibitors from 16 countries and regions worldwide, have registered to exhibit in 2,397 booths at CEATEC JAPAN 2003. The organizers forecast approximately 600 exhibitors on Opening Day. Although the number of special exhibits and pavilions opened by industry-related organizations is expected to decline from 2002, an increase is seen in individual companies exhibiting, and forecasts are for the total number of booths to rise to 2,470,an increase from 2,444 at CEATEC JAPAN 2002. Also expected is an increase in the number ofvisitors, from 173,000 in 2002, to approximately 180,000 at CEATEC JAPAN 2003.
Starting on Friday, July 25, visitors to CEATEC JAPAN 2003 will be able to pre-register on the World Wide Web, and thereby avoid paying the entrance fee. This service will be continued until Saturday, October 11, the last day of the exhibition.
Pre-registration reservations for Special Guest Speeches and Keynote Speeches, both available free of charge, will also be accepted via the Web from July 25. (These services will be closed when reservations reach room capacity for each speech.) Pre-registration for other CEATEC JAPAN Conference sessions is scheduled to begin via the Web in late August.
The CEATEC JAPAN Web Magazine will be issued once again in 2003 to introduce some of the many trends and features awaiting visitors to the exhibition. This magazine will be viewable on the CEATEC JAPAN website (see URL below), and visitors can also request that it be sent directly to their e-mail accounts.
ultilingual information about the exhibition is also available on the Web. In addition to Japanese and English, introduction pages have been prepared in Chinese, French, German, Korean and Spanish. Visit the official CEATEC JAPAN Web site for details.
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For further information, please contact Mr. Torikai at the CEATEC JAPAN Management Officein
the Japan Electronics Show Association, as follows:
Telephone: +81-3-5402-7603
Fax: +81-3-5402-7606
E-mail: ceatec.info [at] ceatec.com