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Suzhou gears up for IT fair

By Song Hongmei (Chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2006-06-15 09:43

Organizers of the Fifth China Suzhou Electronics Manufacturer Exposition (eMEX Suzhou 2006), which will run from October 18 to 21 at the Suzhou International Expo Center, are gearing up for a larger show that builds on the success of its four previous editions.

The expo, jointly sponsored by the Ministry of Commerce, the Ministry of Information Technology, the State Council Taiwan Affairs Office and the Jiangsu provincial government, is a top IT fair in the country that highlights the latest research results, manufacturing, technology and development trends.

The eMEX Suzhou 2006, with an increased exhibition space of over 30 percent to 42,000 square meters from last year, will attract some 600 electronic manufacturers and hold a total of 1,600 booths, up 19.5 percent and 6.67 percent respectively. About 72,000 professional participants are expected to attend the expo, up 20 percent, according to Zhou Weiqiang, vice mayor of Suzhou, East China's Jiangsu Province.

Vice mayor of Suzhou Zhou Weiqiang (R) answers journalists' question at a press conference in Beijing, June 13, 2006. [chinadaily.com.cn]

Four hundred manufacturers from the mainland, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Europe and America have already registered to take part in the expo and reserved 1,100 booths. Eighty-two percent of those registered were previous eMEX exhibitors, said Zhou at a press conference in Beijing on Tuesday. The event was first staged in 2002.

Big-name companies such as GE, Cannon, Samsung, Hitachi, Sharp, Benq and Asus will participate in the event. Some of them have booked more than 30 exhibition stands respectively, according to Zhou.

Suzhou eMEX is primarily targeted at domestic and international manufacturers and buyers specializing in the electronic components industry, service providers with expertise in storage and software technologies, and potential investors in the Yangtze River Delta region.

Suzhou has successfully hosted the expo for four consecutive years to provide an opportunity for exchange between domestic and overseas manufacturers. "We are confident that eMEX 2006 will be an even better success, due to its scale and the number of multinational participants," said Zhou.

The expo has followed a Business To Business (BTB) pattern since its inception. This year, there will be a special exhibition area called Digital World, which will showcase how technology connects people's daily lives in a Business To Consumer (BTC) manner, according to Zhou.