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NTGTS/CTC NEWS FLASH
OCTOBER 2008 *****************************
The NTGTS/CTC News Flash is an electronic bulletin designed to help keep you informed of North Texas Global Telecommunications Society (NTGTS)-Texas and Communications and Technology Connections (CTC)-Washington, D.C. Chapter programs and activities. To view past issues, see
http://www.ntgts.org/content/category/1/1/2/
IN THIS NEWS FLASH
- President’s Message
- November 2008 Fall Networking Event - Membership Drive - Special Welcome to NTGTS’ Newest Corporate Member and Partner: Fusion Solutions, Inc. - Leader Spotlight, Q&A with Roberto Fanini, Director Membership, NTGTS - Audio conferencing/Webinar Services Needed - NTGTS on LinkedIn - CITI 25th Anniversary International Summit on Communication and Media - Second Annual JETRO Japan Business Seminar - NDCC Tech Survey - Jobs, Resources, and More - Events Calendar PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Members: I hope you had a chance to read the September 2008 edition of the News Flash and this current edition of the publication finds you doing very well. It was a busy September and I am pleased to report we had a successful monthly program. The Programs Task Force continues to work hard and recently hosted a very-well received event on October 23 on consumer and market trends. We will host a Fall 2008 Networking Event on November 13 at the Hyatt Regency North Dallas Hotel. [see calendar section for more details]. Additional information will be sent out on this event soon. I also want to reiterate our support of the Second Annual JETRO Japan Seminar [see below for details]. It would be wonderful if your company and/or organization would participate in JETRO’s Seminar. As a reminder, we recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary as an organization. We worked with Michael & Partners, now HCK2 Partners, a full-service public relations, creative and interactive services agency who handled all the press and media outreach regarding our 10 year anniversary. Special thanks to George Michael, President and Founder of Michael & Partners, also serving on the NTGTS Programs Task Force, as well as the team at HCK2 Partners for all their excellent work in disseminating the message about our 10 year anniversary. Thanks to everyone who has played a part in the organization—it has been a very busy and successful 10 years. We have some exciting news and updates in this edition so please continue to read on.Thank you for your continued support! Jeremy L. Azif NOVEMBER 2008 FALL NETWORKING EVENT Please join NTGTS for its monthly networking event taking place on Thursday, November 13, 2008, at The Hyatt Regency North Dallas (formerly the Richardson Hotel) located at 701 East Campbell Road in Richardson, Texas. The event will take place in the 701 Bar & Grill area of the hotel beginning at 6:00 p.m. CST. Members of NTGTS/CTC are free, and $5 for non-members. This is a great opportunity to connect with a group of key industry players at this networking reception. There will be some door prize drawings and happy hour specials. Please register by Wednesday November 12 to programs@ntgts.org. When responding, please provide your full name, company/affiliation, phone and e-mail. Non-members may register via the NTGTS/CTC website at: http://www.ntgts.org/zenCart/index.php. Cost for Non-Members is $5.00 per person. For more information, contact Daniel Chalker, Director of Programs for North Texas, NTGTS, at dchalker@chalkerflores.com. MEMBERSHIP DRIVE Message from the Membership Task Force Have we recently heard from you? If you have let your NTGTS/CTC membership lapse, we want to retain you as a member. If you meant to renew, you can renew your membership at http://www.ntgts.org/zenCart/index.php and sign up for the membership tier that best suits your needs at this time. Prompt payment of your dues will allow you to continue to enjoy all the benefits of your NTGTS/CTC membership without disruption. Note that the organization has not increased membership dues for several years and comparing our dues to other organizations locally, regionally and internationally, our organization’s dues are reasonable. Our dues allow the organization to keep pace with costs and improve our abilities to better serve the membership. For more details on membership categories, corporate membership, etc., see http://www.ntgts.org/content/blogsection/6/69/. If you have any questions, please contact us at membership@ntgts.org. SPECIAL WELCOME TO NTGTS’ NEWEST CORPORATE MEMBER AND PARTNER: FUSION SOLUTIONS, INC. NTGTS is pleased to announce that Fusion Solutions, Inc., a leading provider of staffing solutions for telecom companies, has become a key partner and newest corporate member as part of an effort to assist NTGTS in growing its membership and services to the telecom/IT industries. Based in Dallas, Texas, Fusion Solutions’ services suite includes contract staffing, contract-to-hire, and search services for full-time client employees. Fusion Solutions also provides specialized solution development and implementation services. The company was founded in 2002 and today is one of the largest certified minority-owned telecom staffing providers in the state of Texas. For more information, visit their web site at www.fusionsolutionsinc.com. LEADER SPOTLIGHT, Q&A WITH ROBERTO FANINI, DIRECTOR, MEMBERSHIP, NTGTS Q: How did you get started in the telecoms and high tech industry? A: My first experience with the telecommunications industry was working on the implementation of a TV Station in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1989. The TV station turned out to be the second nationwide network in the country today. Years later, after graduating in the United States with an MBA in International Business in 1996, I started to work with Ericsson in several roles/divisions for Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. After Ericsson, I worked at T-Mobile in 2002 with a focus on the U.S. market. I joined the SMB Sales Channel at Insight Enterprises in 2006 and in July 2008, I was promoted to my current role as a Global Strategic Business Consultant. Q: What advice do you have for others who are new to these fields? A: The telecom industry is becoming a great part of our lives these days as we basically cannot stay away from our cell phones or PDAs. In that way, you are already exposed to the technology more than years ago, but I would encourage you to participate in forums such as NTGTS, read about new technology trends, industries that are converging, and new markets as it is an exciting and changing environment that might offer a new opportunity for new employees. I would highly recommend finding a niche you can relate to and have passion for because that will drive your success.
Q: What is your biggest challenge? A: My biggest challenge is to keep up with all the demands of work, family, social life in a country like the United States, as we are constantly driven to achieve more in less time. In my current role, the different time zones require discipline and focus since you don't have a big window to reach out to people and get the work done. Q: How do you balance work and life? A: I believe you have to set priorities in life and realize that there are some areas that you cannot compromise, areas that are core values for family, friends and work and respect them on a daily basis. One must also look to other things that are also important and decide if they can wait another day or not. Q: Please describe an average day in your life. A: Usually I wake up at 6 a.m. and plan to start work at 8 a.m. and finished work by 6 p.m. We sometimes have calls with Europe as early as 7 a.m., and also late with China around 8 p.m. as well. I usually like to go through my calendar for the day, read industry/market news/alerts quickly and then take care of work. Q: Value of NTGTS Membership. A: NTGTS is a great venue to meet friends, co-workers, to get updated on the latest in the industry, help people that are looking for information or even jobs. It is a good touch point in an informal level where you can use creativity, develop relationships, and make a difference in your community. Q: What I do. A: My role as a Global Strategic Business Consultant, based in Plano, TX, is to work with our Global Accounts with a presence in 170 countries providing a strategy for their global needs regarding pricing, agreements, support level, reporting capabilities and procurement. I also coordinate a Global Software Roundtable event for our customers as a User Forum whereby they can share best practices, get industry updates and meet top publishing executives. There are some paradigm shifts as before we used to "Think Global and act Local" but today we are encouraged to "Think Local, and Act Global". Q: Technology I cannot live without. A: In my opinion, I believe that PDAs are very important as it gives me the option to communicate anywhere, anytime, for the most part, through a silent form when needed or via a one-on-one conversation call. I have all the contacts, links, and favorites that save me time on my daily routine. Q: Technology I can live without. A: I believe I could live without text messaging and IM although they are helpful to me. Q: Favorite Restaurant anywhere in the world. A: My favorite restaurant is Fogo do Chão which serves Brazilian barbeque and is located in Addison, TX. The restaurant has a great salad bar and desserts. Going forward, we will be bringing you interviews with other members from the NTGTS Leadership as well as from the general membership. As a paid member in good-standing, if you are interested and want to be profiled, please contact membership@ntgts.org. After we hear from you, someone from the NTGTS Leadership will be in contact regarding the interview profile. AUDIO CONFERENCING/WEBINAR SERVICES NEEDED
Audio Conferencing - The Leadership of NTGTS has discussed the possibility of providing an option for members to participate in meetings and programs remotely via a conference call bridge. At this time we are offering an opportunity for interested individuals or corporations to sponsor a new call bridge or donate a Conference Call Bridge number that may already exist within the respective company for the use of NTGTS Monthly meetings. Any interested party that would like to sponsor the Conference Bridge should contact Jeremy Azif at president@ntgts.org. Webinar Hosting - The Leadership of NTGTS has also considered hosting a Webinar twice a year on topics of community interest. The Webinar can be via WebEx or other tools currently available. Any interested party that would like to sponsor either a single or series of Webinars, including donating a currently owned license to WebEx, Live Meeting, or other such tools should contact Jeremy Azif at president@ntgts.org. NTGTS ON LINKEDIN If you would like to join or visit, follow this link to our Group Page: http://www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=887307. We look forward to your participation in this group and receiving any feedback you may have. CITI’S 25TH ANNIVERSARY INTERNATIONAL SUMMIT ON COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA NTGTS is pleased to support the Columbia Institute for Tele-Information’s (CITI) 25th Anniversary International Summit on Media & Communication on October 30-21, 2008. The event is co-sponsored by the International Telecommunications Society (ITS) in collaboration with IDATE, France, as part of the Trans-Atlantic Dialogue. On Thursday, October 30, there will be Gala dinner from 6-9 p.m. in the Rotunda, Low Memorial Library at Columbia University in New York City. The speakers include Vinton Cerf, “Pioneer of the Internet”, and Vice President, Google; Ivan Seidenberg, CEO, Verizon; and Richard Wiley, “Father of Digital TV” and Media Lawyer. On Friday, October 31, there will be a full-day industry conference with many leading industry executives speaking on “The Next Generation of Communications: The Dawning of the Ultra broadband Era”. For more information about these events, contact John Heywood, Assistant Director, CITI at jwh2121@columbia.edu. SECOND ANNUAL JETRO JAPAN BUSINESS SEMINAR The Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) will host its Second Annual JETRO Japan Business Seminar in cooperation with the Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC) to be held on Tuesday, November 18, 2008. NTGTS is once again serving as a cooperating organizer for the event along with the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Forth Worth, U.S. Department of Commerce-North Texas U.S. Export Assistance Center, Japan-America Society of Dallas/Fort Worth, Greater Irving/Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce, Global Semiconductor Alliance, the AeA Texas Council, the City of Dallas, Dallas Regional Chamber and the Fort Worth Chamber. The seminar will consist of three briefings on business opportunities and "secrets of success" in Japan's IT market, followed by a limited number of one-on-one business counseling meetings. The keynote speaker this year will be Mr. Tsunesaburo "Sunny" Sugaya, General Partner and CEO, Head of Business Development of JAFCO Ventures (Japanese Venture Capital), in Palo Alto, California. Mr. Sugaya, with twenty years of expertise in the IT Business Development industry, will offer practical advice and strategies to leverage the capabilities of Japanese partners to strengthen local companies and help establish a presence in Japan. The overall theme of the seminar will be on achieving success in Japan’s IT market with an emphasis on providing companies with the basic information and encouragement to do business in Japan. Participants will also have an opportunity to ask questions and receive feedback from an expert during one-on-one consultations confirmed in advance. NTGTS believes that participation in this seminar could potentially lead to increased global business opportunities for your company/organization in Japan and elsewhere. Please do not delay in getting involved in this excellent business development opportunity. For further information, please visit: http://www5.jetro.go.jp/newsletter/hut/DallasSeminarFlyer.doc or contact Mr. Keith Sanders, Assistant Director of Business Development, JETRO, at keith_sanders@jetro.go.jp or call him at 713-654-5258. NDCC TECH SURVEY One of NTGTS’ long-time partners on industry events, the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce (NDCC) has created a tech survey for their upcoming Technology Conference. For more on the conference, see http://www.ndcc.org/event/technology.html. Note that NTGTS is co-sponsoring the Technology Conference again and our members are entitled to the member rate to attend this important industry event. For information on the survey, see www.ndcc.org or contact Sharon Walker, Vice President, NDCC, at swalker@ndcc.org. JOBS, RESOURCES AND MORE RESEARCH UPDATES FROM THE PUBLIC UTILITY RESEARCH CENTER (PURC) Do you know about the PURC at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida? If not, you may want to visit their website at www.cba.ufl.edu/purc/. If you are looking for papers and other resources, PURC has a plethora of information on its website related to regulatory trends, economics, market issues, competition, and other industry topics. In addition, PURC organizes and hosts on an annual basis the World Bank International Training Program and PURC Leadership Workshop. This program has been in existence for many years and has a stellar track record. You can find out more about this program at the PURC website at http://www.cba.ufl.edu/purc/develop/training.asp. EUROCPR 2009 The organizers of the EUROCPR 2009 conference in Seville, Spain on March 30-31, 2009 are seeking papers for the event. The focus of the conference is on medium-term Information Society policy (‘after 2010’). The organizers want papers that explore the interaction between Information Society Policy and other policy fields (e.g., research, enterprise and industry, energy and transport), the interaction between European and national policy, and the interaction between policy trends in Europe and other regions. The conference is hosted by the Regional Ministry for Innovation, Science and Enterprise of Andalusia, Spain, in collaboration with the Institute for Prospective Studies (IPTS), one of the seven scientific institutes of the European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC). Papers are due November 10, 2008 to Martijn Poel at martijn.poel@tno.nl. ACORN/Redecom Conference The organizers of the ACORN/Redecom conference are seeking papers for its conference. ACORN/Redecom is a cross-disciplinary academic network of research centers which seeks to advance knowledge on the social, economic and political impact of ICT in the Americas region. It fosters research and dialogue among researchers who examine the economic, technological and policy issues that affect ICT and their impact on development. Please submit abstracts and panel proposals to acorn2009@cide.edu. Abstracts are not to exceed 500 words. Deadline is January 15, 2009 for abstract or panel proposals. Notification of acceptance is February 15, 2009 and completed papers are due April 15, 2009. The event is sponsored by Telefonica, Accenture, Telmex and Grupo Clarin. For more information, please contact Martha A. Garcia-Murillo, Director, Telecommunications and Network Management, School of Information Studies, Syracuse University at mgarciam@syr.edu. EVENTS CALENDAR NTGTS/CTC EVENTS NOVEMBER What: Fall 2008 Networking Event When: November 13, 2008 Where: Hyatt Regency North Dallas (formerly the Richardson Hotel), 701 E. Campbell Road, Richardson, TX Time: 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. Central time Contact: programs@ntgts.org URL: www.ntgts.org PARTNER EVENTS What: NDCC Telecom Conference 2008 When: December 5, 2008 Where: Westin Galleria Hotel, Dallas, TX Time: 7:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Contact: swalker@ndcc.org URL: www.ndcc.org OTHER EVENTS OCTOBER What: Futurecom When: October 27-30, 2008 Where: Sao Paulo, Brazil Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Ebe Raso, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Department of Commerce at ebe.raso@mail.doc.gov URL: www.futurecom.com.br What: LTE USA When: October 28-29, 2008 Where: Sheraton Atlanta Hotel, Atlanta, GA Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Sofiane Guerni, Delegate Account Manager, Informa, sofiane.guerni@informa.com URL: www.informa.com What: Proskauer Rose LLP Conference on Global Privacy and Data Security Law When: October 29, 2008 Where: Cipriani 42nd Street, 110 East 42nd Street, New York, NY Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: proskauer_seminars@proskaeur.com What: International Summit on Communication and Media When: October 30-31, 2008 Where: Columbia University, New York City Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Loy Phillips at sr2132@columbia.edu URL: www.citi.columbia.edu/events/summit2008
NOVEMBER What: 27TH Annual FT World Telecoms Conference When: November 3-4, 2008 Where: Landmark Hotel, London, UK Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Amelie Argenti, +44(0) 20 7775 6119 or amelie.argenti@ft.com URL: www.ftconferences.com/telecoms What: Institute of the Americas 11th InfoCom Americas Conference When: November 13-14, 2008 Where: La Jolla, California Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: 858-453-5560 URL: www.iamericas.org What: CariCam 2008 – 7th Annual International Meeting When: November 17-20, 2008 Where: Cancun, Mexico Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Claudia Valerio at Claudia.valerio@ibcbrasil.com.br (Event Manager) or Raquel Freitas (Sponsorship Manager) at Raquel.freitas@ibcbrasil.com.br URL: www.caricammobile.com.br What: Management World Orlando When: November 16-20, 2008 Where: Rosen Shingle Creek, Orlando, Florida Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: Jason at Jason@fiercemarkets.com URL: www.fiercewireless.com What: 9th Annual ECTA Regulatory Conference 2008 When: November 26-28, 2008 Where: Management Centre Europe, Brussels, Belgium Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: events@ectaportal.com URL: www.ectaportal.com DECEMBER What: WiMAX Forum Congress Latin America When: December 2-4, 2008 Where: Windsor Barra Hotel, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Time: See website Speakers: Various Contact: IBC Brasil at ibcbrasil@ibcbrasil.com.br URL: www.ibcbrasil.com.br QUESTIONS AND SUPPORT If you have questions about NTGTS/CTC, send them to membership@ntgts.org. For technical matters, contact Shelly Haffly at shelly.haffly@mavericksystemscorp.com. SUBSCRIBING AND UNSUBSCRIBING You are receiving this publication because you are a paid member of the organization or expressed interest in subscribing to this publication and/or are interested in receiving information and notices about NTGTS or CTC related events and activities. To subscribe, send a message to membership@ntgts.org with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. To unsubscribe, send a message to membership@ntgts.org with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. When sending us your information, please provide us your full contact details.
Note that unsubscription requests must be sent from exactly the same address as the one you used to subscribe. If you do not remember which address was used to subscribe, please send NTGTS all current e-mail aliases. EDITOR’S COMMENTSCo-Editors: · Jeremy Azif, President & Co-Founder · Jennifer Ullman, Vice President & Co-Founder
We hope that you enjoyed reading this News Flash! We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please send them to membership@ntgts.org. Mission: NTGTS and CTC seek to stimulate friendships, professional cooperation, and respect in order to effectively promote cross-cultural developments and commerce. A further goal is to provide members with the information, resources, and tools that better enable them to take advantage of the developments occurring in the international communications and information technology areas. The organization fosters personal/professional development and the networking needs of its members by providing access to a global network of industry contacts and leaders. In addition, one of the organization's key goals is to continue expanding and developing into other markets.
News Flash is published by the North Texas Global Telecommunications Society (NTGTS) and Communications and Technology Connections (CTC). It is a member service and is distributed to the membership-at-large. Copyright 2008 NTGTS and CTC. Copying or distribution in whole or in part is welcome, so long as this notice is included in the distribution. |
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