Event summary

Carrriers World 2003

Overview
The eighth annual event built further on our history of success and saw over 300 senior industry professionals come together in London. 2003's event was a lot more upbeat than previous years' events. Many of the attendees and speakers pointed to the increased attendance and the positive atmosphere of the event as a tangible sign that the carrier market has turned a corner.

The conference
Last year's conference theme "To profit" chimed well with the general consensus that the market is beginning to slowly recover. Many of the delegates commented on the positive tone of many of the presentations, and the overall feeling that the view of the future should be rosier than it has been in previous years.

In 2003, Carriers World commenced with a keynote address from BT Group's CEO Ben Verwaayen who was followed by Eva Lindqvist, President, TeliaSonera International Carrier.

Other top-level speakers at the conference included:

• Andrew MacLeod, Managing Director, EMEA, MCI
• Bridget Cosgrave, President, Belgacom Carrier and Wholesale
• Christian Moeller, Regional President, Europe, Sprint
• Serge Fortin, Chief Operating Officer, Teleglobe
• Charles McGregor, CEO, Fibernet
• Mikel Williams, COO, LambdaNet
• Stefano Mazzitelli, CEO, Telecom Italia Sparkle
• Hoh Wing Chee, COO and acting CEO, C2C/SingTel
• John Meyer, President, Lucent Worldwide Services
• Gary Smith, President and CEO, CIENA
• Peter Newcombe, President Wireline Networks, EMEA, Nortel Networks
• James Kinsella, Executive Chairman, Interoute
• Phil Metcalf, Managing Director, Global Crossing Europe and CEO, Global Marine

The exhibition area
A limited number of sponsors and exhibitors had an excellent opportunity to showcase their products and services in the refreshment area which was sponsored by Lucent Technologies. Exhibitors at the event included France Telecom, CIENA, Tiscali, SOTAS, Teraspan, Surf Telecom, Action Engine, TeliaSonera International Carrier, Ascade, ThinkAnalytics, ECTA and Carriersworld.com.

With a 300+ audience and the Lucent Technologies-sponsored coffee station as a draw, the exhibition area and the flow of traffic to and from the conference room worked very well. Unlike big trade shows, the exhibition area at Carriers World attracts real decision-makers that a limited number of exhibitors get access to. When was the last time you saw a carrier CEO at a major exhibition? CEOs do not attend exhibitions, but they do attend Carriers World.

The Carriers World Networking Dinner
The Carriers World Gala Dinner, which followed the Nortel Networks cocktail party, was a sold-out networking function. The dinner took place at the 10th Restaurant on the Royal Garden Hotel's tenth floor with a magnificent view of the London skyline.

The dinner was attended by many of the top-level speakers as well as sponsors and delegates. This function was an addition to the event's schedule of networking function that is sure to return as it very quickly was fully booked.