Second annual Canalys Navigation Forum attracts industry shapers

The proposed acquisition of one of the biggest map data providers by the world’s leading PND vendor has fuelled a tremendous amount of speculation about the future shape of the navigation industry, the ownership of the constituent elements of the value chain and which companies will be involved in the next takeover.

Tele Atlas and NAVTEQ are both Platinum level sponsors of the second Canalys Navigation Forum, taking place in Barcelona from the 10th to the 12th of September at the prestigious Grand Marina Hotel. What the future holds for both mapping companies and their customers and partners will be one of the key topics discussed at the forum, on the main stage, in the many highly interactive panel sessions and no doubt in the private one-to-one meetings where business relationships will be discussed between the many industry participants in attendance. The one-to-one meeting booking system goes live this week and slots are likely to be snapped up quickly by the delegates that have already registered.

Canalys today also announced that support for the event is even higher than last year, with Nokia and Becker joining for the first time at Platinum level alongside many other sponsors – namely SiRF and Blom at Gold level, HP, Merian, Nuance, AND and Jentro at Silver, Loquendo, CSR, Acapela, ALK, Magellan and Wayfinder at Bronze, and with Garmin as a supporting organisation. Many of the sponsors have already been involved in M&A activity since the first Canalys Navigation Forum held in Geneva last September, which many delegates described as the best technology industry conference they had ever attended.

In addition to delegates from sponsor companies and other industry participants, the forum is attracting a lot of interest from the financial community and the media. “All the VIP media places are taken,” said Alan Cardy, Canalys Vice President, “And we are delighted this year to have Jacques Garcin, Telematics and Automotive Director at Orange, as a guest speaker in the plenary session, as well as senior representatives from Orange, Motorola and Yahoo! in the breakouts to talk about the future role of mobile operators and location-based services.”

Carefully designed to give the industry the opportunity to gather and benefit from the latest 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, as well as LBS, subjects such as the potential of emerging markets, 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.

Chris Jones, Canalys Vice President and Principal Analyst, added, “The navigation industry is growing and changing every day. Handset vendors and operators are looking beyond the car to the consumer in the street and exploring the opportunities around community generation and sharing of map and other location information. PND vendors are also moving into connected devices, but channels, service pricing, content and operator partnerships and technology integration pose many challenges. The forum this year will once again be a springboard that helps the global navigation industry leap forward.”

To register as a delegate, to find out about special rates for channel partners and financial analysts, or to gain more information on sponsorship opportunities please visit www.canalysnavigationforum.com or call +44 (0) 118 984 0549.

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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