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Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit
What's Inside
Letter from ED
Well, what a year!
Although I only became your Executive Director in September (and found that I had jumped feet first into a fast flowing river), I've had a chance to look back. I'm amazed at all the good things that have happened in the past 12 months with our industry and this association.
Here are five things that come immediately to mind that we should all be happy about:
- SPIF 2007 – This two day event kicked off with a sold out panel discussion, reception and dinner event with keynote speaker Jason Cohenour, President and CEO of Sierra Wireless. Day two of the event gave 11 (out of 40 that applied) selected companies from all across Canada an opportunity to pitch to a boardroom full of SPIF members and investors. For the 3rd year in a row SPIF is coming again, on January 17, 2008, as part of our inaugural wireless summit.
- WIC'07 – 60+ wireless companies from all over North America entered our 4th annual contest this year and we announced the winners live at the CTIA Wireless spring show in Orlando. To keep up with changes in the industry we have made the Wireless Innovation Contest (WIC) shorter, faster and easier to enter (think WIC Light + Web 2.0) where the wisdom of the crowd (i.e. the delegates of the Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit) will vote live on their mobile devices for the 'Best In Show'. The five lucky winners in each category will be invited to exhibit for FREE at the show. To learn more about the Contest please click here.
- AGM 2007 & wavefront funding – Our Annual General Meeting in May was busy and well-attended. We elected our new board and voted Robert Forget, Director of Sales for Vecima Networks, as WINBC's new Chairman. And of course, we should not forget the $5 million funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education to help wavefront with startup and operational costs. wavefront (recently renamed from WINLAB) began as an initiative of WINBC, with endorsement from the BC Premier's Technology Council.
- MoMoVan – We changed the format a little – to give more personal value and networking time -- and the venues, and have been getting out large numbers – 70 to 90 people. We also made it free to WINBC members and students. Let's keep this event fun, informative and useful in 2008, and let's keep it growing. If any of you know people who aren't part of WINBC, but are in wireless, Web 2.0, or wireless related businesses, invite them along to our next MoMoVan – Monday, February 4, 2008.
- Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit (PNWS) – After postponing our first-ever Summit, we're now full speed ahead for three busy, busy days in mid-January, 2008. This is going to be the flagship event for WINBC, so help make it a huge success, either as a sponsor, a speaker, exhibitor or a delegate. Read about it in the story below, or find out all about it at www.pnwsummit.com.
PACIFIC NORTHWEST WIRELESS SUMMIT COMING JANUARY 16-18, 2008
Don't miss the Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit (PNWS)
We're doing a lot of work, very quickly, to pull off this event, and so far it looks like it's going to be a success. If all of you take part, it will be a huge success.
This three-day event is designed to create a vision for the future of our region, more business and networking opportunities for our BC wireless companies, for our partners in the region and worldwide, and create better value for our generous sponsors. The summit is an open event that will facilitate useful conversations around ideas, innovation and investment. We expect 200 of the best minds in wireless to attend the Conference Day and close to 300 over the three days.
This is also an event that will create opportunities for both the Consumer as well as the Enterprise markets in some of the hottest areas (IT & social networking, location-based services, enterprise data solutions, broadband, convergence, mobile advertising and mobile entertainment).
What do we still need? We have room for one amazing keynote speaker on the Enterprise, three or four more speakers/panelists and a handful of exhibitors. Most Sponsorship opportunities are closed now, but a few – just a few -- are still available. And if you need financing to take your company to the next step, register for the SPIF!
Our partner for SPIF, The Telecom Council from Silicon Valley, has told us that Vodafone, Swisscom, Orange, and Telus have already confirmed their presence at PNWS. Others like AT&T, Bell, Intel, Mitsui Ventures, Nokia Forum, SK Telecom, are also expected to confirm their attendance.
Here's what's happening at the Summit, January 16, 17 & 18, 2008:
- On Wednesday, we kick off with a half-day Summit Meeting of the top leaders in our regional industry at the beautiful 2010 Commerce Centre at UBC Robson Square sponsored by BC Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Secretariat.
- On Thursday, it's the conference and mini-trade show at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver, where, among many other things, we will revealing the results of our 2007 BC Wireless Industry Survey. There will also be an Innovation Contest and a Gala Awards Presentation.
- On Friday, we'll close with a Service Provider Investment Forum (SPIF), at the law offices of McCarthy Tétrault, who generously sponsored the venue. The SPIF is an excellent place to meet representatives from the world's major carriers and present your case for funding or other help from them. Only 10 companies will be invited, so apply for your spot now. Download SPIF Application.
- After the events... well, we're advising all speakers, delegates and other participants to stick around an extra day or two to enjoy some Olympic-calibre skiing at Whistler, BC.
2007 BC WIRELESS INDUSTRY SURVEY PRE-VIEW
How is the BC wireless cluster doing? Results of the 2007 BC Wireless Industry Survey.
Is our industry growing? Stagnating? Diversifying? What do we need to do to find and keep talented People? Are we investing enough in Innovation? How is our Performance? What’s our speed to market? Is 300% growth a reasonable expectation? Do we have the resources and tools we need to compete in the fierce global wireless market? How do we access new Markets and profitable Customers? What kind of Investment we need to sustain fast growth? Are we becoming more or less profitable? What do you think is important, or not, to the future of our industry? What do we need to do to become a Sustainable wireless cluster?
To answer those questions, WINBC commissioned the 2007 BC Wireless Industry Survey to SL Thomson & Associates. The results are now in and we'll have printed copies of the summary results for you at the Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit.
There is a lot of juicy information in the Survey reflecting the breadth of expertise and significant potential we have. Here are a few tidbits:
- The average age of respondent companies is now 11 years. The average (mean) company size, excluding large employers, is 14 people.
- Of the companies surveyed (both members and non-members of WINBC), 53% say they are cash-flow positive and another 27% expect to become cash-flow positive in 2008.
- All sectors of the Wireless Value Chain say they expect to report significant growth over the next two years – up to 300% for some companies!
- More than half of respondent companies say they need assistance with product quality assurance and accelerated commercialization services, especially marketing and sales programs.
- 92% of respondents rated MoMoVan, Face_Time, investment forums and other networking events organized by WINBC as having being very or somewhat useful.
We thank all companies who responded to the survey and we also want to thank PricewaterhouseCoopers, Wavefront AC (formerly known as WINLAB), and Western Economic Diversification Canada for supporting the project.
TOP 50 FASTEST GROWING WIRELESS COMPANIES
OF 2007
Our top companies
Four WINBC member companies have made it into Deloitte’s 2007 list of the Top 50 Fastest Growing Wireless Companies. The companies, which have recorded growth rates of 500% to 1100% over the past five years are:
- Ascalade Communications
- Dyaptive Systems
- Tranzeo
- WebTech Wireless
Congratulations to their teams!
LOOKING AHEAD: THE FUTURE LOOKS GOOD!
Looking ahead: Reach in. Reach deep. Reach out.
This past year has been a good one for WINBC and our region's wireless industry. Next year is going to be even better, in terms of putting BC on the world wireless map and developing more business opportunities for all of us.
You may not have noticed, but following a strategic meeting of our board of directors in June 2007, WINBC has changed its strategic direction from "The organization brings this diverse sector closer together by fostering collaboration among early-stage wireless companies in BC." to "WINBC is promoting the fast growth and sustainability of British Columbia, Canada as one of the world's best wireless technology clusters and communities."
With that in mind and in an effort to better respond to your needs and be more strategic (turn the survey insights into action and measurable results) WINBC is going to make that happen through an approach I call "reach in, reach deep, reach out." It's all about open collaboration and smart cooperation.
Here's what that means:
- First, we're going to REACH IN to our own province to find more members. We currently have over 100 members, but there are 150 other wireless companies who aren't members yet, plus another 250, or more, companies in wireless-related businesses. Not to mention a few hundred in the New Media sector, some of which are ready to go, or thinking of going, wireless. We will work together with New Media BC and BCTIA to identify new opportunities and create better value for our members. At the federal level, we will also try to work closer with CWTA (Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association) and at a global level, with WIP-ARC (Wireless Industry Partnership – Association of Regional Clusters) in 2008. By this time next year I hope to be able to report we have 140 to 150 members.
- Second, we're going to REACH DEEP. I've made a promise, as your Executive Director, to get to know all of you better and gain a better understanding of what you need to become even more successful. It is important to help not only the CEOs of our member companies but also the product development, marketing and sales, and HR communities to do better. That means spending more time on the road visiting as many of you as I can – in the Okanagan and on Vancouver Island, as well as in the Vancouver area.
- Third, we're doing well or very well in Telecom, Government, Consumer Products, Transportation and Technology-Software and we need to keep producing new products for these existing sectors. However, Entertainment, Banking & Financial Services, Media, Real Estate, Retail, Health, Tourism are multi-billion dollar vertical markets with huge untapped potential and therefore we also want to REACH OUT – to create business development initiatives that will address these wireless-ready industries in Canada and worldwide. In doing that, we're going to develop marketing programs designed to help you sell more to those businesses, not just to the carriers. An essential part of REACHING OUT is also speed to market and accelerated commercialization. Between 50% and 60% of the respondents of the survey suggested as a 'Significant Benefit' or 'Immediate Need' for the following top three services:
- Product quality assurance/functional testing facilities & assistance (60%)
- Product marketing and demand creation assistance (54%)
- Product lead testing/performance benchmarking facilities & assistance (50%)
In 2008 you should expect to see some strategic, results-driven initiatives from WINBC in cooperation with Wavefront AC (formerly known as WINLAB) and some of our members and partners like Sierra Wireless, Telus, Bell, NOKIA, and NAVTEQ to name just a few.
To support some of these initiatives we will also work more closely with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC/IRAP), Industry Canada, DFAIT, and specialized wireless and new media labs from UBC, SFU, UVIC and BCIT.
With your help we will also be able to generate more revenue for WINBC, which in turn will allow us to create better programs and services for you and build a more sustainable industry association.
Some of the events that are ahead of us in the first part of 2008 and you need to be aware of are: PNWS in January, Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, CTIA in Las Vegas in April and the BC TECH WEEK (Wireless and New Media Day) at the BC Canada Olympic Pavilion in Beijing in May.
In the end, it's all about you participating in our events, programs and initiatives and helping WINBC find new members and WINBC finding you new customers and great partners because..."Products don’t create profits, customers do." – Peppers & Rogers Group (The inventors of 1 to 1 Marketing)
BEST WISHES AND THANK YOU!
Best Wishes and have a Great New Year!
We send out our best wishes to all the members of WINBC, whose help and participation throughout the year make us a lively, informed, successful – and relevant – organization. We are also grateful to all our sponsors, who helped us produce such successful events as our Mobile Mondays, Face_Time and the forthcoming Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit. Last, but not least, we thank Western Economic Diversification Canada who expressed their support of WINBC with a generous grant. We also thank all of our volunteers.
From me, your Executive Director Michael Bidu... from your Chair, Robert Forget... and from your Board of Directors: Bruce Bernard, Bruce Tattrie, Caroline Lewko, Chris Langdon, Colin Quon, Dave Blakeway, Jennifer Blome, John DeLucchi, Patrick Payne, Peter Lesyk, Steve Hnatiuk, Tom Nyberg, and Val Swannell…thank you and best wishes to everyone, and may 2008 be your most successful year to date!
See you at the Pacific Northwest Wireless Summit!
P.S. I welcome your feedback or comments on how to make WINBC the best association for you. You can reach me at michael@winbc.org
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PACIFIC NORTHWEST WIRELESS SUMMIT 2008
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INDUSTRY EVENTS
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February 11 - 14, 2008
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April 1 - 3, 2008
Canadian Pavilion @ CTIA
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