SUPERCOMM Returns!
Summer 2009 will see the return of SUPERCOMM, the international broadband conference which was rebranded several years ago as NXTcomm. Returning under its old moniker, the new SUPERCOMM will take place June 8-11, 2009, at McCormick Place in Chicago.
In a web conference this morning, USTelecom President and CEO, Walter B. McCormick Jr., and TIA’s President, Grant Seiffert, detailed the reasons behind the switch and discussed the event’s new focus.
Calling this the “return of the SUPERCOMM brand” the two leaders outlined an extensive research process which they undertook following the 2008 NXTcomm show. Following research of the tradeshow marketplace, and the polling of all parties involved, they announced the transformation of NXTcomm to SUPERCOMM with a move back to Chicago, bringing the show back “by popular demand.”
Seiffert outlined the expanding communication needs of today’s consumers from 24/7 communications “their way,” to expanded services beyond simple voice and data into the areas of entertainment and video, education, health care, personal security, and environmental or green offerings. Seiffart said the new SUPERCOMM was “about this new world of communications that will lead to dramatic improvements in everyday life.”
The new event will continue programs which kicked off last year at NXTcomm, including the EOS Awards, honoring those exhibiting companies that have developed the most promising new technologies or provided the best new network services and strategic support, and the invitation only reception for networking. The pavilions grouping and highlighting specific technologies will also be available again this year, with the addition of a start-up pavilion for early stage companies.
Event planners also mentioned an interactive display in the works with the city of Chicago to showcase the communications infrastructure and systems to be built for the 2016 Olympics, should Chicago win its bid to host.
Looking back at how this all unfolded, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) and USTelecom (USTA) put on SUPERCOM jointly for nearly two decades. When the contractual relationship between the two groups expired in 2005, TIA and USTA went their separate ways. USTA emerged from the split announcing it would sponsor its own TELECOM ’06, which was then renamed to TelecomNEXT and was announced as the replacement event for SUPERCOMM. Meanwhile, TIA announced plans to hold its own replacement for SUPERCOMM, named Globalcomm. Exhibitors and attendees alike were confused and frustrated at having to split their time, teams, and budgets.
The two associations eventually took the complaints to heart and in October 2006 announced they would join forces once again to produce a single event to be held in 2007 called NXTcomm, which seemed to them like a logical combination of the Globalcomm and TelecomNEXT names. What it really turned out to be was yet another brand name to confuse people. So today we have come full circle, with the announcement of yet another rebranding for this broadband event. SUPERCOMM is back!
In this morning’s teleconference when asked why they didn’t go back to the SUPERCOMM name two years ago McCormick said, “the thinking then was it was a good idea to combine the names. But we created brand confusion. People couldn’t keep straight SUPERCOMM, NXTcomm and the other names. We are launching a new structure for this event and going with the better known brand. It’s the easiest way to create certainty in people’s minds.”
Visit the website for the newly rebranded event where you can pre-register and request to be added to the mailing list. With an event theme of “New communications technologies in the marketplace” SUPERCOMM plans to issue its call for speakers in late October.
