COMPASS 2007 :Reinventing Itself

As one of the most successful IT expos of the East, there were several new
aspects to Compass 2007. Three new sets of awards were handed out and the
association also leveraged the electronic and radio media to publicize the event

The 12th chapter of Compass 2007 saw some innovation in the form of a new set
of awards that were handed out. The event also moved back to the Netaji Subash
Chandra Indoor Stadium in Kolkata, as on two occasions, the outdoor venue proved
to be ill fated for the event.

That the event is one of the most popular IT expos in the east goes without
saying. This time around, besides dealers from mofussil areas of the eastern
region, one could spot several youth at the expo.

“The most important aspect at Compass 2007 is the increased number of
visitors in the form of students and youngsters, executives and IT
professionals. This is again very encouraging for us since this user segment is
the prime user of IT right now and in the future,” said a visibly delighted Arun
Jalan, Chairman-Exhibition Committee, Compass.

Other innovations

This year, the expo witnessed a few first timers. For the first time,
Compass utilized the electronic media as a publicity vehicle, as it had tied-up
with Radio Mirchi. Also for the first time during the exhibition, online IT
quizzes for school students were conducted.

Besides this, seminars on different topical subjects like devices for users,
use of IT for business issues and solutions, application of IT in surveillance
and protection against threats from PCs to cell phones, etc were also conducted
during the four-day exhibition.

Stalls of various products on display during the event

Remarked Jalan, “The Compass Inter-School IT Quiz was well-received by
partici­pants. We have received great encouragement from the schools as well as
parents.” Compass gave prizes in the form of  LCD monitors, speakers, gift
hampers, trophies and certificates to the winners. “This is an effort on behalf
of Compass to help the students enrich their IT knowledge, and also to create
better interest and awareness of IT among them,” added Jalan.

Speaking on the success of the event, Pawan Jajodia, President, Compass
informed, “Encouraged by the response, we have received from all participanting
schools, students and parents, we are planning to make this quiz a standalone
event to be organized by Compass. The executive committee is exploring the
possibilities to make it a branded property of Compass by the name of Compass
Inter-School IT Quiz.”

Compass offers a platform to IT companies to showcase their latest products
and technologies. “With the increased association of bigger companies each year,
the event is getting all the more powerful. This is one medium which is very apt
for creating brand awareness, both among the end users as well as the channel,”
said Jajodia.

Problems present too

However, with the growing volume and popularity of the show, Compass members
regreted the unavailability of a bigger venue, for the event. The association is
hopeful that by next year, the exhibition complex erected by the local
government will be completed soon so that it can organize the show there.

“In that case, we are planning to divide it in two parts. One will be
dedicated entirely for product and technology display which is the objective of
most participants, and another part to be used as a sales venue where those who
want to sell their product can do so,” said Jalan.

The Compass expo saw the participation of some new brands like DSK Worldman,
LCC PC, RealTime Systems, Gemini, Cartridge World, Re-Feel and Kanry. But there
were some companies, which refrained from participating in the event because
they felt that the quality of the crowd has gone down. “The footfalls reduced
over the past couple of years and the people the event is attracting are not the
IT buyers per se,” a partner claimed.

Compass officials too maintained that the turnout in the four-day show was a
bit lower but that did not daunt the spirit of the organizers. “We had expected
a turnaround of one lakh people but the actual turnout is possibly around
75,000, which was also not bad given the high ratio of quality crowd,” informed
Jalan. “One thing which is noteworthy here is that the percentage of serious
visitors was more this time than the previous years. This is a very healthy sign
and is a welcome change,” he added.

The aerial view of the exhibition area

Partners in success

The main sponsor for this year's exhibition was Xenitis Group while DSK
Worldman and Amconics were the co-sponsors. The associate sponsors for the show
were Zenith, Netgear, HP, Lenovo, MSI, RPG, Nvidia and APSIS, and the entrance
gate sponsor was D-Link.

The official IT magazine was DQ Channels. This year, the theme of the
exhibition was 'Computer for Everyone'. “Our objective is to promote IT to be
every man's tool. We want to create more awareness through the Compass expo
among the users, which will add on to the computer literacy rate in the state,”
said Jalan.

Like every year, Compass also organized its annual award ceremony at Spring
Club. Sponsored by Seagate, the event witnessed introduction of three new award
categories-Lifetime Achieve­ment, IT Personality of the Year and Woman
Achiever-apart from the regular categories.

“These types of awards act as great motivation for the individuals and
encouragement to produce better results,” said Jalan. Next year, the association
is planning to introduce a few more categories, which will be worked out by the
executive committee in due course of time.

Based on a survey by IMRB, the awards were given out to the winners in
different categories. Another set of awards were given, based on the performance
of the exhibitors at the exhibition venue for different categories. For this the
association had appointed neutral judges comprising of experts from different
verticals.

DQC News Bureau