24 February 2012 : Hotel Le Meridien, Coimbatore

Indian IT industry’s consistent growth in both exports and domestic segments and its ongoing expansion into new potentially high growth opportunities reaffirms the continued confidence and global competitiveness of the Indian IT sector. A large part of this growth will be driven from small towns and Tier II cities, especially in Tamil Nadu. A number of IT and ITeS companies are expanding to newer locations as they grow to deliver high-end services in the value chain, says a study carried out by the National Association of Software Services Companies (NASSCOM) and Hewitt Associates.

Coimbatore being the hub of manufacturing industry, little is known on the silent change that the city is undergoing in the IT sector. Today, the IT software export from Coimbatore is close to Rs.150 crore. Coimbatore's vision to become one of the major IT destinations of the country has started turning into a reality with some of the big companies in the sector bringing the city under their expansion map and the existing companies expanding at a fast pace. A large, talented manpower, a conducive business environment, professional work ethics and a stable political climate have made Coimbatore a natural choice for these organizations. Perhaps not as much celebrated is the contribution of entrepreneurs from Coimbatore – small and medium – usually in supporting large players by way of providing outsourced services. These entrepreneurs have really been the powerhouse of innovation and productivity and continue to provide momentum for growth.

As we acknowledge, reinforce and develop current strengths, it is important and infact our responsibility to build the environment for attracting and growing IT sector in Coimbatore. CII Coimbatore Zone has been organising a series of “Connect Coimbatore” Conferences over the last 11 years, serving as a platform to understand the latest trends in the IT & ITES Sector, tapping the untapped potential of in this region, the role of new entrepreneurs in spurring the growth, key factors which determines the success of new business, the plans of the big players for Coimbatore and their expectations. The Theme of the event is “INNOVATIVE ICT for WORLD-CLASS ENTERPRISES"

This theme reflects the need for organization to use more of IT into their business to be successful and at the same time, innovatively reduce cost in this period of market slowdown worldwide. It also reflects the need for the IT companies to constantly innovate to become a more global player from presently being the fastest growing market in Asia Pacific Region.

The 12th edition of Connect Coimbatore is scheduled for 24 February, 2012 @ Hotel Le Meridien, Coimbatore. Connect Coimbatore 2012 will have the following deliverables.

• An opportunity to serve as a platform for the companies in this region to understand the best practises in business management through ICT.
• An opportunity for IT companies to present themselves to the companies in this region about the technologies and IT products that can be used by them.
• Over the years Connect Coimbatore defines and strengthens the context by creating an environment in which Entrepreneurs, CIOS, IT Managers can engage with global and local thought leaders as well as network with technologist in exclusive formal sessions.
• As in all editions of CONNECT, Government representatives and bureaucrats will participate and will look forward keenly to inputs from the Industry and Academia to create the right eco-system to foster further growth and value creation to the IT Industry in Coimbatore.

Focus Sessions

• ERP for Small & Medium Business s (SMB’s)
• ICT Opportunities in Other sectors (Defence / Education)
• Latest trends - Information Technology for SMB’s
• Emerging Opportunities
• Information Security