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Bangalore | Taipei | Budapest | San Francisco
www.canalysnavigationforum.com
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www.canalysnavigationforum.com
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| An inside view of the Canalys Navigation Forum from Rachel Lashford, Canalys’ APAC Manager |
 Rachel Lashford joined Canalys in September 2000 and leads the company’s Singapore operation, which opened in October 2006. She runs the Smart Mobile Device Analysis Worldwide and APAC services, and contributes analysis on mobile devices, mobile navigation, vendor and operator channel strategies, mobile appl ications and content.
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| Tell us the idea behind the Canalys Navigation Forum and its objective. |
Canalys has leading industry analysts in the field of mobile navigation and smart mobile devices. We were the first company to deliver quarterly tracking and regular analysis on the mobile navigation market globally, and our client list reflects how we have continually built up the quality and depth of our research in this sector. This commitment to, and from, the industry, has made us best placed to introduce an independently run event around what is one of the fastest growing consumer electronics sectors in the world. Our first event two years ago was the foremost of its kind to draw in as sponsors the critical players in this ecosystem, bringing senior executives from across the industry together to discuss and analyse the future direction of the market. The purpose of all of the forums is to bring the companies involved together, with the idea of cooperation and ‘coopetition’, to gain invaluable market insight locally and globally. Naturally, networking, making a wide range of new contacts and promoting their own businesses is also an important factor.
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| What prompted you to choose Bangalore, Taipei, Budapest and San Francisco as the venues of your events? |
We spend a lot of time and resources on finding the perfect venues – we, and our delegates have extremely high standards! Bangalore for us represented perfectly the success of twentyfirst century India – a burgeoning IT industry and a brand new airport and metro on its way being the key indicators. Of course Bangalore also epitomises some of the challenges, especially for the emerging navigation market, including of course the traffic problems! Taipei is the hub for much of the navigation market’s manufacturing industry, so we know there would be a keen interest there to hear about not only the Taiwanese market, but also the highgrowth opportunities elsewhere. Budapest, capital of Hungary, is part of another new area of potential growth – Central and Eastern Europe. The US decision was less difficult for us, as we have recently opened our Americas office in the Bay area, and of course Silicon Valley is home to many of our sponsors and attendees.
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| What is your target audience for the forum? |
All of the forums are a meeting place for C-level and senior executives within the mobile land navigation sector. Mapping suppliers, hardware and software vendors, operators, ISPs, channels, venture capitalists, investment analysts, as well as press will all attend.
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| Could you share some of the highlights and successes of the Canalys Navigation Forum in Geneva in 2006 and Barcelona in 2007? |
We’ve enjoyed welcoming the CEOs of Navteq, Tele Atlas and TomTom to speak at our events in the past, and been privileged to have some major players as sponsors, and had over 300 attendees at each European forum. But I have to say this year’s events look bigger and better than ever, not least because of the global reach. The forums’ premier sponsors across the events to date have included, among others, Nokia, Tele Atlas, Navteq and TomTom. We also welcome new sponsors this year, including Microsoft, Nav N Go, Wayf inder and MapmyIndia. Our speakers and panellists will include operators, car manufacturers, ISPs and even a top advertising agency, so that attendees can get a breadth of opinions.
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| What according to you is the growth opportunity for the navigation industry in the APAC region? |
The APAC region is the next fastest growing
after North America, with Q4 2007 shipments
of around 1.7 million mobile GPS navigation
devices representing a 137% rise on the equivalent
f igure in Q4 2006. So not only is the
region experiencing a high level of growth, but
it remains a very fragmented area to understand
and tackle – there are dramatic contrasts
between APAC and the other regions. For
example, while the PND is still the largest
category in volume terms, PMPs (portable
media players) and converged devices, such as
smart phones, already represent more than
20% of the market.
Both of our APAC forums will be important for those who wish to succeed in selling navigat ion and location solut ions into this huge potential market. These events will also include information on consumer preferences for India and Taiwan – drawing upon the results of special consumer surveys Canalys is conducting for each of the events.
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| How do you define the contribution of the Canalys Navigation Forum to the growth of the navigation industry? |
| We aim to contribute by establishing the premier independent meeting place for those individuals involved in the industry in each region. Unlike a trade show floor, attendees will have the t ime and the space to focus on discussing the market and considering the future impact on their businesses. Some will have an interest in understanding and accessing the local market and others will be there to inform decisions on product development and branding decisions for foreign markets. All will no doubt appreciate the independently researched data and opinions presented by Canalys. |
| Canalys Navigation Forum will span the globe in 2008 |
Make the most of the opportunities available to you by joining industry experts at Canalys Navigation Forum 2008 as they evaluate the risks, benefits and solutions of navigation and other location-based services (LBS).
The hugely successful forum is developing as fast as the market it focuses on and will take place this year in India, Taiwan, Budapest and San Francisco. Wherever you are based, and whatever your company’s role in the industry is, you need to be at these events.
Don’t just take our word for it:
“This kind of an 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.”
Alain De Taeye, CEO Tele Atlas
“This conference is a testament to the fact that navigation is
an industry in its own right. The penetration of navigation
products across a spectrum of business and
personal applications is impressive.”
David Assouline, Marketing Director, Consumer of NAVTEQ
Our truly interactive forums will provide you with all the answers to your questions on mobile navigation and the broader LBS market, with a variety of interactive learning and best practice sessions, such as: presentations, Q&A discussions and one to one networking opportunities with the industry’s most respected visionaries.
More information regarding these events will be released regularly over the coming months. Please visit our web site at www.canalysnavigationforum.com to find out more.
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| 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 market ing managers and strategists within blue-chip IT, telecoms, navigation and consumer electronics companies. It has unrivalled expertise in 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.
www.canalysnavigationforum.com |
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| April 2008 |
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