From cloud computing to Web 2.0 and green ICT - and the business model innovations that will give industry impetus to these ideas – these are some of the topics that will come under the spotlight at the Infocomm Industry Forum 2009 organised by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore.

The theme of the forum, which will be held on 30 November 2009, is “Fostering Innovation in the Infocomm Ecosystem”. The event will provide a unique opportunity for industry leaders, CXOs and entrepreneurs to glean the insights of thought leaders from around the world and to position themselves and their organisations for the business and technology innovation challenges that lie ahead.

Speakers at the Forum include analysts, venture capitalists, researchers, chief information officers of end user organisations, infocomm industry veterans and entrepreneurs. Among them is Mr Michael Sha, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wikiinvest, who will talk on “The Art of the Start”. He will talk about what makes entrepreneurs tick, and address common misconceptions of the kind of success that can be achieved in crowded consumer space of Web 2.0, and whether such red ocean space can produce world-scalable products.

Providing the analyst’s perspective is Mr Mike Gotta, Principal Analyst, Collaboration & Content Strategies, Burton Group. In his presentation on “Enterprise 2.0: Leveraging Social Media to Promote Workplace Innovation”, Mr Gotta will examine how organisations are leveraging on Enterprise 2.0 applications to develop collaboration strategies within and outside the workplace.

Moving from the workplace to the IP (Internet Protocol) world, Dr Mark A. Randolph, Director of the Singapore Innovation Centre, Motorola, will focus on “Delivering innovative services to your television”. As broadcasting and communications services rapidly converge, the vision of personalised, interactive, next-generation multimedia applications and communication services available seamlessly across diverse platforms is finally becoming a reality. In his presentation, Dr Randolph will look at how the TV of the future will get more personalised and connect to everything from home networks to a plethora of services on the Internet.

Speakers at the forum include: (From top left) Mr James Loo, CIO of YCH Group; Mr Mike Gotta, Principal Analyst, Burton Group; Dr Mark Randolph, Director of the Singapore Innovation Centre, Motorola; Professor Goran Roos, Managing Director, Intellectual Capital Services; (from bottom left) Mrs Rosina Howe-Teo, Chief Innovation Officer and Group Director, Innovation and InfoComm Technology, Land Transport Authority; Mr Michael Sha, founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wikiinvest and Ms Yifat Oron, Partner, Vertex Venture Capital.

The venture capitalist’s point of view on innovation is presented by Ms Yifat Oron, a partner with Vertex Venture Capital. She will shed light on how Israel’s most reputable privately-owned venture capitalist fund and incubator nurtures and produces successful technology startups.

And from Professor Goran Roos, Managing Director, Intellectual Capital Services, comes the timely reminder that in today’s global economy, the competitive edge often rests not in product or service innovation, but in the business model itself. Presenting a global perspective of business model innovations, he will discuss the importance of innovating around business models as a complement to product innovation.

These are just a few of the speakers that will be taking the stage at the Forum.  Guest-of-Honour, RADM(NS) Lui Tuck Yew, Acting Minister, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, will give keynote address at the end of the forum to anchor the whole day’s discussion.  The forum is targeted at industry leaders, CXOs and entrepreneurs from infocomm companies, multinational corporations, small and medium enterprises, startups and public agencies.

The formal full-day programme will be followed by a session of networking over cocktails, which will provide participants and speakers with an informal setting in which they can interact, share ideas and explore opportunities for collaboration.

The Infocomm Industry Forum is organised by the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore in conjunction with the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation. To register for the Forum, or to find out more about the event, visit www.infocommindustryforum.com .