WCA January 2009

news

First Fastener Fair success

“With over 1,400 people attending, including 1,012 qualified buyers, Fastener Fair Budapest has been the catalyst for a large volume of profitable trade,” said Fastener Fair exhibition organiser Jerry Ramsdale, announcing “An outstanding success.” The staging of Fastener Fair Budapest, on 22 nd and 23 rd September 2008 attracted 1,012 visitors, of whom 45% were distributors, 35% were fastener manufacturers or wholesalers; and 13% were fastener end-users. 68% came from the ‘target’ market of central and Eastern Europe, including countries like Russia, Estonia and Latvia, and almost 80% were decision-makers with purchasing authority. Of the 166 exhibiting companies from 26 countries, 69% were from Europe, 28% from Asia and the rest from North America and the Middle East. Alcatel-Lucent in partnership with Cable Co, a Bermudian company, has installed the new Challenger submarine cable network in Bermuda. Challenger is expected to enhance Bermuda’s international voice, video, data and broadband services. Spanning 1,445 km, Challenger will link Bermuda to the United States. With an initial capacity of 20Gbps, the new network can be scaled up to 320Gbps. The system is scheduled to start operations by early 2009. Alcatel-Lucent will oversee the project and provide a turnkey network for the Challenger roll-out, including responsibility for the network design, installation and commissioning. Alcatel-Lucent will also deploy its 1620 Light Manager submarine line terminal, cables and power feed equipment, along with its 1678 Metro Core Connect. Alcatel-Lucent – France Website : www.alcatel-lucent.com Bermuda to USA cable link

As for the future of the show, Ramsdale confirms that early feedback from both exhibitors and visitors means that a follow-up show, probably in late 2009 or sometime in 2010, is inevitable. “We’re continuing to consult with the industry,” says Ramsdale, “and I can promise we’ll be back. Whether that’s in Hungary again, or another country in central or Eastern Europe, will depend

on our ongoing research into what the industry wants and, equally importantly, where the most profit- able business opportunities lie for exhibitors and visitors alike.”

Fastener Fairs Group – UK Fax : +44 1727 831 033 Email : jerry@fastfair.net Website : www.fastenerfair.com

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Wire & Cable ASIA – January/February 2009