VoIP Events Ramp Up to Meet Demand
By Margo McCall -- Tradeshow Week, 4/18/2005
As interest in Internet telephony heats up, event companies that serve the growing market are ramping up and adding events.
The Melville, N.Y.-based Pulver.com, a pioneer in the space, recently hired tradeshow veteran Jason Chudnofsky as CEO of its newly created events group, based in the Boston area. Chudnofsky, a former COMDEX executive, will work on global expansion of Pulver's VON brand, short for "voice over the Net."
Currently, cable companies and regional phone carriers are scrambling to join the fleet of Net phone startups enticing consumers and businesses to switch to Voice over Internet Protocol in order to save money and gain access to new services.
According to research firm IDC, 3 million U.S. consumers will subscribe to residential VoIP services this year, and 27 million will subscribe by 2009. Juniper Research, meanwhile, forecasts that the VoIP market by 2009 will grow to $32 billion, accounting for 12 percent of all telecom spending.
"The corporate world is really taking to this. Communications will never be the same," said Chudnofsky, who expects the VoIP industry to branch out into new niches as adoption takes hold.
Pulver.com, founded by industry guru Jeff Pulver, launched its first VON event in New York in 1996. The company now produces eight annual events, including a conference on the Session Initiation Protocol standard held during SUPERCOMM. Pulver.com's Spring VON drew about 6,500 people to the Santa Clara (Calif.) Convention Center March 7–10, and Fall VON is set to attract 5,000 to the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center Sept. 19–22. The company also holds VON events in Australia, Canada and Sweden.
At Intl. CES this year, Pulver.com hosted the Consumer VoIP Summit, a one-day conference that explored such topics as video instant messaging and e-mail, and Microsoft's perspective on future communication devices.
Chudnofsky will oversee management of all those events, in addition to IP-4-IT, a new show that Pulver.com, CMP Media and the Telecommunications Industry Assn. expect to attract 3,000 attendees and 125 exhibitors to the Rio Hotel & Convention Center in Las Vegas Nov. 14–16.
"What Jeff has is the industry event in his space. He's the CES of his industry," Chudnofsky said.
But Pulver is not alone. TMC, producer of two INTERNET TELEPHONY Conference & Expo events, is launching SPEECH-WORLD, a 1,000-attendee conference and exhibition to be collocated with IP Contact Center Summit May 24–26 at the Westin Park Central Hotel in Dallas. And MediaLive Intl. is launching a West Coast version of the 15-year-old VoiceCon brand at the Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego Aug. 29–Sept. 1.
The Norwalk, Conn.-based TMC has been producing INTERNET TELEPHONY since 1998. The East Coast and West Coast events draw about 5,000 attendees and 200 exhibitors each, according to TMC. The East Coast version was held at the Hyatt Regency Miami Feb. 20–25, but next year is moving to the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center. The West Coast version, formerly at the Millennium Biltmore Los Angeles, will be held at the Los Angeles Convention Center Oct. 24–27.
TMC last year also launched its VoIP Developer Conference, next scheduled for the South San Francisco Conference Center Aug. 2–3.
"It's literally unbelievable what's happening right now. The growth rate we're seeing is something that exceeds the '99 and 2000 bubble," said Rich Tehrani, TMC president and conference chairman.
Tehrani said he's not disturbed by Pulver.com's expansion plans, considering that the VoIP sector is "on fire" after weathering a 2-year-long slump. "I'm very happy that the Pulver group is expanding. We're in the same space. Growth by either one of us is positive," he said.
VoIP's popularity is also credited with boosting MediaLive's VoiceCon, which next year is moving from the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., to the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center in nearby Kissimmee. On the second day of this year's show, MediaLive announced the launch of its West Coast VoiceCon event, expected to draw about 750 paid conference attendees.
"With all the new products, new players and evolving buyer concerns, one VoiceCon a year is not enough," MediaLive stated in its launch announcement.
The East Coast VoiceCon this year signed up 125 sponsors and drew 1,500 paid conference attendees, up from 1,100 last year.
"There was just a huge buzz at that event. We realized there was a huge need," said Eric Faurot, senior vice president and managing director of MediaLive's technology media group.
