InfoCom World Conference 2012

Ambassador Smith at the U.S. Embassy pavillion during Infocom World Conference 2012 (State Department Photo)

Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Divani Caravel Hotel

Mr. Minister, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.  

It is my honor to open this 14th annual InfoCom World Conference and to welcome you today.

Celebrating fourteen years of success, InfoCom World has become Greece’s pre-eminent forum for the communications and information industries, serving as the primary gathering spot for providers, users, regulators and pioneers within these industries.

This year, InfoCom’s organizer, Smart Press, has built the conference around the theme, “It’s a connected world – connecting business and opportunities”.  This theme reflects what is critically important to all of us --  the need for greater efficiency.  Greece is no exception in this regard.  Indeed, for Greece, improving efficiency will be a critical factor in restoring economic competitiveness and emerging successfully from the current economic crisis.   

Improving economic efficiency can be achieved through a variety of means, including reducing needless bureaucracy and other impediments to business investment, ensuring the efficient and effective administration of justice, and instituting a predictable and reasonable tax regime.  In addition to the political will and public support necessary to achieve these objectives, both the public and private sector will require the tools necessary to implement reforms – most notably digitization and improved information management.  

InfoCom is a wonderful venue to see the latest in information technologies and learn from industry leaders how to apply these critical efficiency-enhancing tools to maximize the output of your enterprises.  
The Conference information session themes are well-conceived – seamless digital distribution, operating within the cloud, entrepreneurial applications and social media.  These are all topical and relevant issues.

I also note the timely emphasis on mobile applications.  Greece has an abundance of home-grown talent in the development of these programs which are the driving force behind the explosive growth of our smart phones, tablets and other devices.  I know that some of these Greek developers have visited the U.S. and are already collaborating with U.S. companies.   

I would like to draw your attention to the U.S. Embassy pavilion located just outside this meeting room.  Nineteen leading American ICT companies are present today, eager to forge relationships with Greek partners and to provide their leading edge technologies and expertise to the marketplace.  I hope you will stop by and learn more about these opportunities.

I congratulate Smart Press on organizing this event and wish all of you the best for a productive day ahead.