TELECOM 99 TO TAKE PLACE IN GENEVA

Geneva, 31 May 1995 — The 8th World Telecommunications Exhibition and FORUM will take place in Geneva in 1999. The largest and most authoritative telecommunications exhibition and FORUM in the world, TELECOM, will take place in PALEXPO in Geneva, Switzerland, from 5 to 13 October 1999. The organizer, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), received invitations with very attractive conditions from Chicago (USA), Berlin (Germany), and Geneva (Switzerland) to hold the 1999 event. It was, therefore, not easy for the ITU to decide on the venue for TELECOM 99. After many consultations and a series of negotiations, and taking into account all the pertinent considerations, the Secretary-General of the ITU, Dr. Pekka Tarjanne, announced his decision today.

This world event was organized for the first time in 1971 - it was an instant success that has since been repeated every four years. Today, TELECOM is recognized as the Olympics of Telecommunications - everybody who counts in the telecommunications society attends TELECOM - from the leaders in manufacturing and industry, service providers and operators to governments.

The last event, TELECOM 91, had 850 exhibitors from 46 countries. The exhibition used around 100 000 square meters net of exhibition space. Many of the stands had lifts and escalators, and many needed up to two months to build. 132 000 visitors plus 28 000 exhibition staff attended at TELECOM 91. Among those attending, were over 100 ministers, 1000 VIPs, 450 speakers at the FORUM, 3 650 FORUM delegates, 1 560 journalists. Overall, 164 countries were represented.
The 7th event, TELECOM 95, takes place this year in PALEXPO, Geneva, from 3 to 11 October and is receiving overwhelming attention from all over the world. The exhibition space was sold out during TELECOM 91. For TELECOM 95 the estimated impact to the host city is expected to exceed that of the 91 event.

Exhibitors will be pleased to note that the official build up period for TELECOM 99 will be extended by an additional four weeks and the Geneva authorities will be bringing the hotel situation under control concerning pricing and minimum stay requirements. Another major concern which has been resolved is that the newly introduced value added tax will be refunded to foreign exhibitors.

The TELECOM series of events for which the Secretary-General is fully accountable are organized and managed as part of the permanent activities of the Union.

Since 1985, the ITU has also organized Regional TELECOMs in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Eastern Europe - which are now the leading regional exhibitions and conferences. After TELECOM 95 and before TELECOM 99, Americas TELECOM 96 will be organized in Latin America, followed by Asia TELECOM 97, possibly Europa TELECOM 97 and then Africa TELECOM 98.