Nikkei BP's WPC EXPO 2003 Ends in Success

Tokyo -- September 30, 2003 -- WPC EXPO 2003, held at Makuhari Messe from September 17 - 20, has closed in success, drawing a total of 263,205 visitors. First launched in 1995 as WORLD PC EXPO, the event changed its name to WPC EXPO in year 2002. Renowned as Asia's largest IT and digital tradeshow, WPC EXPO 2003 embraced as its theme: "Broadband Ubiquitous Network for Business and Beyond." The show presented networking technology as well as advanced business solutions to IT professionals and business users, and the latest digital technology and entertainment to consumers.

The venue was divided into two zones, each comprised of exhibition-specific areas and pavilions. "Business Zone" was designed for those looking for hardware, software and IT solutions for their businesses. One of the many highlights of this zone was a biometrics identification hands-on corner, where visitors were able to experience biometrics identification technology. "Home & Personal Zone" showcased the latest computers, hardware and software for home use including digital cameras and printers, home theaters and home networking products. At this zone, visitors were introduced to the latest DVD/HDD hybrid recorders.

Concurrently held was WPC FORUM 2003, a conference composed of keynote speeches and seminars focusing on such topics as environmental issues, terrestrial broadcasting, mobile business, fuel-cells and Blu-ray disks. Professor Ken Sakamura of Information Science at the University of Tokyo delivered a keynote speech entitled "Towards Realizing a Ubiquitous Computing Environment" in which he spoke about the technologies required to realize the ubiquitous computing. His speech drew a total of 1,127 attendees, exceeding the seating capacity to its maximum.

On the final day of the show (September 20), a commendation ceremony was held to award the "Best of WPC EXPO 2003." The award was established in 1998 to recognize the most noticeable exhibits at the show. Four Nikkei BP's computing titles; namely, Nikkei Byte, Nikkei Click, Nikkei WinPC and Nikkei Best PC selected the most notable products in the following eight sections of: outstanding technology, software, PC parts, digital camera, mobile, digital consumer electronics, laptop PCs and desktop PCs.

Herewith are the details:

WPC EXPO 2004 is scheduled to be held from October 20 (Wed.) to 23 (Sat.), 2004 at Tokyo Big Site.

For further details, please contact:
International Office
phone: +813-5210-8502
fax: +813-5210-8119
http://www.nikkeibp.com
e-mail: info@nikkeibp.com