PSIA co-locates grassroots program at e-Services 2010

Jan. 18, 2010 - PRLog -- The Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA) will co-locate DEVCON Luzon, a gathering of Filipino software and web development professionals, at the 10th e-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition, the government-led business event for the ICT and BPO sector.

This the first time that an event is going to be co-located at e-Services, which is now on its decade run.

Organized by the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), e-Services is an annual business event composed of an exhibit and an international conference that brings together local ICT/BPO players and the country’s targeted investors in one high-class venue.

On its 10th year, expectations for the show are high as the Philippines positions itself to grab a bigger market share from the US$6B BPO industry that has seen phenomenal growth over the years, and which is the single biggest employment growth sector in the country. With 2010 industry targets of US$11-13B in revenues; 650,000-900,00 in generated employment; and a 10% global market share, e-Services aims to provide even more opportunities for collaboration by playing host to such business leaders from global brands like Rubin Worldwide, JP Morgan Chase, and Netsuite, among others.

e-Services partner agencies include the Board of Investments (BOI), the Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC), the Regional Operations and Development Group (RODG), and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).

Meantime, DEVCON (or Developers Connect) as an event was initiated in 2009 by Winston Damarillo, PSIA Director of International Marketing, and Diane Suico, PSIA’s Marketing Program Director. It is part of an outreach program by the PSIA, in a bid to increase the quality and quantity of IT professionals serving the industry.

“DEVCON seeks to create a robust informal network of like-minded IT professionals [as well as students from the academe] to help increase the volume of successful IT practitioners,” said  Suico.  “[It is meant to] aid in uplifting the capability and capacity of the IT industry in the Philippines.”

Having done the rounds with the first DEVCON Visayas in Cebu and the recently concluded DEVCON Mindanao staged at Davao City, DEVCON gatherings are characterized by close collaboration with the different sectors of the industry.

Included in DEVCON’s lineup of activities are Lightning Talks – quick, spontaneous talks on any technology-related topic (i.e. Cloud computing: hype or evolution); Birds of a Feather – debates that explore opposing views on certain technology (i.e. What is your favorite OS for development?); and Hackathon – joint coding sessions on programming (i.e. Build online applications in a flash).

To be held at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, DEVCON will be staged on February 9, the second day of the 2-day e-Services.  

“[We] expect a full house of ‘geeks’ that will serve as [a] showcase to local and international e-Services participants to demonstrate the vibrant community of IT professionals in the Philippines,” said Suico of DevCon’s concurrent participation to the event.

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The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is an export promotions arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry.