Looking back at the Vietnam Comm 2009 Exhibition

As Tuan mentioned in his last post, we had a very busy week in Hanoi. We participated in several events which were divided between Frederic, Tuan, Guy and I.I will dwell mainly on the Vietnam Comm Exhibition and the Vietnam Electronics 2009, the largest Vietnamese ICT exhibition and our first participation in an Asian trade show. I assure you it was an interesting experience, first of all from a point of view of the animation and atmosphere.The day before the opening, I participated with Tuan in a group meeting with the VNPT (Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group), organized by Ubifrance. It was an opportunity to present Pentalog, our dynamic growth, and especially our presence in Vietnam. Our Vietnamese counterparts showed a strong interest and possibly this will be an opening towards future partnerships. At the end, the traditional exchange of gifts, a local custom can not be overlooked.The opening of the exhibition took place in a festive atmosphere. Not to deny our French roots, the Pentalog stand found its place in the French Pavilion, hosted for the first time by Ubifrance.The presence at the Pentalog stand was assured by Tuan, our Branch Director in Hanoi, Frederic, Kim-Anh, Mai and I. The visit of French officials and Mr. Ambassador Herve Bolot (former Ambassador of France in Romania), gave me opportunity to exchange a few phrases in Romanian.Even if we had a very good location, we had to deal with a few organizational problems, mainly due to the incredible noise made by the Telecom operators. Being accustomed to a more sober and reserved style, the games, contests and entertainment, with its background noise certainly not taking into account the other exhibitors, surprised us in a negative manner.In terms of meetings, we meet very few qualified visitors. The most interesting discussions we had were with the contacts we already knew before the show. Most appointments made at the stand did not come through. But I will not forget the interesting meetings organized by Ubifrance with Canal Overseas and Calyon.On the other hand, meetings with other exhibitors opened a few doors for business opportunities. I am reminded here of Orange (a very interesting presentation on their tele-conference solution), Sagem Com HTTV, Infoterra Hit Value, SAP, and the last but not the least interesting, Noema.I must not forget to say a few words about the evening Gala. It was a moment that reminded me of memories “deja vue” of a past regime.In conclusion, we were able to make our presence felt and our involvement in French events (I speak here of Ubifrance) and prove that French investments and French interests in this area are very strong and supported by all the officials.Next year the exhibition will be held in the city of HCM. And who knows, maybe our presence will mark the opening of another Branch office.