Canalys Navigation Forum 2007 backed by leading players

Canalys today announced that the two leading navigation industry mapping companies are once again firmly behind the Canalys Navigation Forum, which is recognized as the key place for industry participants to come together to discuss future product and service development, investment and business opportunities. Both companies backed the inaugural event last year, which some senior delegates described as the best technology industry conference they had ever attended.

“The first Canalys Navigation Forum in Geneva was a big hit! This kind of event gives the opportunity to all participants in this emerging industry to share opinions, voice opportunities and last but not least to meet each other. This unique platform made it possible for us to share the vision of Tele Atlas with all the participants. We looking forward to this year’s edition in Barcelona,” said Alain De Taeye, CEO of Tele Atlas.

"This conference is a testament to the fact that navigation is an industry in its own right," said David Assouline, Marketing Director, Consumer of NAVTEQ. “The penetration of navigation products across a spectrum of business and personal applications is impressive. NAVTEQ looks forward to representing its commitment to the industry at Canalys' event in September.”

The 2007 forum will be held in Barcelona from the 10th to the 12th of September at the prestigious Grand Marina Hotel. The event has already attracted several other early sponsors, including Centrality, Blom, Merian, Nuance, Loquendo and CSR. Alan Cardy, Canalys Vice President, said, “We were delighted by the response to last year’s forum, which now holds a regular slot in the diary of senior management across the navigation industry. Our expectation is that the number of delegates this year will rise above 400, with greater representation from the Americas and the APAC region, and more involvement from the mobile operator community as they wake up to the opportunities that navigation provides as an application itself, and as the catalyst that will lead to the widespread adoption of location-based services.”

Carefully designed to give the industry the opportunity to gather and benefit from research, analysis and debate on critical market trends and issues, this year’s conference themes reflect the direction in which the industry is moving, taking in among other subjects: the potential of emerging markets, mobile operators and LBS opportunities, selling navigation solutions into businesses, and the future of the PND. The forum provides the perfect platform for delegates to discover all they need to know about the latest market developments, products, solutions and services coming out of the navigation industry. Topical issues are explored and discussed, and delegates are encouraged to put forward their questions to speakers, panellists and Canalys analysts, in highly interactive sessions.

The Canalys Navigation Forum combines informative and entertaining plenary sessions with independent breakout and panel sessions hosted by Canalys’ analysts. These will draw together experts from many different parts of the value chain and there will be many opportunities for formal and informal networking, including a one-to-one meeting service. All delegates will be welcomed at a cocktail reception to open the event and invited to a glorious open-air gala dinner.

Chris Jones, Canalys Vice President and Principal Analyst, added “The navigation industry is experiencing tremendous growth, but also great change. Handset vendors have woken up to the potential of navigation, not only in-vehicle, but also on foot. Meanwhile PND vendors are starting to deliver connected devices, which will offer users better and more dynamic information, but bring with them a vast array of challenges around channels, service pricing, content partnerships and technology integration. With any kind of connected device, a vendor will struggle without establishing a meaningful dialogue with the operators. This year’s forum will bring all these industry participants together to help move those conversations along.”

To register as a delegate or to gain more information on sponsorship opportunities please visit www.canalysnavigationforum.com or call +44 (0) 118 984 0539.

About Canalys

Canalys specialises in delivering high quality market data, analysis and advice to the world’s leading technology vendors. It is recognised as a key provider of continuous advisory services and confidential custom projects for marketing managers and strategists within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics companies. It has unrivalled expertise in European routes to market for all kinds of high technology products and services in the consumer, SMB and large enterprise segments, and provides worldwide market data and trends analysis.

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