Rains wash out Bangalore IT.IN

Rains wash out Bangalore IT.IN
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Blame it on the rain. Silicon Plateau's event of the year, Bangalore IT.in, was one show techies in this City pounded by a weeklong barrage of showers failed to log on.

With water on the streets and layouts, and complete civic breakdown in many parts of the City, the public turnout for the first two days at Palace Grounds, the venue of the annual jamboree, was disappointing.

IT & BT Secretary M.K. Shankaralinge Gowda, admitting that the show was not drawing the crowds, pointed to the rains. ``It is usually the young IT professional crowd that makes this event a success. But the unprecedented rain has put off their spirit,'' he sighed.

In a sharp contrast to the earlier seven editions, there was hardly a sliver of the buzz of excitement that usually animates the sprawling Palace Grounds. Yet one more downpour on Thursday afternoon added to the woes of the organisers.

Shankaralinge Gowda was quick to add that the IT industry was wholeheartedly supporting the event. ``The conferences and seminars are doing extremely well. We expect a good turnout of Bangalore company representatives during the CEO conclaves,'' he said.

But on the ground the mood was much more sombre. Those working the exhibition stalls felt that the turnout has plunged sharply. Most of the exhibitors said that the number of visitors fell far short of their expectations.

The response of experts and rank and file industry professionals who had confirmed their participation at some of the seminars and conferences, including the one on IT services management, was rather dull.

Among the foreign countries, which made their presence felt, Britain was the most aggressive. While the British High Commissioner, Sir Michael Arthur, pushed for enhanced investment from India, the London Stock Exchange wooed Indian firms to list on the Bourse.

Germany's Bavaria sought to promote the region as the IT hub of Europe and highlighted market and business opportunities for Indian companies there. A delegation from Barcelona in Spain banked on the ``Bridging Barcelona and India'' theme.