The 29th year of Computex, one of the world's largest ICT exhibitions came to a close on June 6, 2009. The five-day event that was held from June 2-6, 2009 saw no major impact of the global recession, with only 25 companies doing a no-show. Nearly 1,700 exhibitors showcased their products in 4,498 booths as compared to 1,725 exhibitors in 2008, with Kingston and Foxconn being among the companies that gave the event a miss. During its first four days, the show welcomed 32,178 international buyers from 214 countries and more than one lakh international and local visitors. The top five countries of international buyers were from US, Japan, Hong Kong, Mainland China and Korea, with Australia joining the top 10 this year.

This year's show included a wide range of product categories such as computer systems, components, data storage devices, software, peripherals, display and digital entertainment products, mobile Internet, WiMax, green technology and netbooks.

In his opening address, JT Wang, Chairman, Taipei Computer Association said that the main theme of Computex 2009 has changed from 'Compuetx catch the WiMax' to 'WiMax on the Move,' symbolizing the launch of commercial WiMax operations in Taiwan.

The highlight of Computex has always been the procurement meetings arranged by TAITRA. This year, TAITRA arranged more than 2,000 individual procurement meetings during the three days. These meetings generated on-site business worth a projected $100 million and are expected to create $700 million in follow-up business. According to TAITRA sources, this year, the three-day affair attracted 256 overseas companies from 42 countries.

Nearly 1,700 exhibitors showcased their products in 4,498 booths. Many firms represented emerging markets such as Turkey, Argentina, Russia, India and the UAE.

USB flash drives, memory cards, SSDs and DRAM were among the major attractions in the expo and nearly 20 percent of the exhibitors were showcasing their products in this space. The exhibitors stole the show with their innovative designs. Among them were companies like A-Data, Apacer, Kingmax, Patriot, OCZ and PNY. A-Data won the Taiwan Excellence Pavilion Award for its S805 USB flash drive, X series cooling solutions and Turbo Series CF 350X SD card.

First held in 1981, Computex Taipei will celebrate its 30th birthday in 2010. For the past 29 years, Computex Taipei has transformed itself into not only the world's leading ICT procurement platform, but also a perfect world stage for new product and technology launches from home and abroad.

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