Perth to host the first world electronic commerce conference in November this year

25/3/99
The world's most influential figures in business and banking are coming to Perth later this year.
Commerce and Trade Minister Hendy Cowan announced today that Perth would host the first world electronic commerce conference in November this year.
'World E-Com 1999' is the first of a planned series of annual conferences - to be held in different economic regions of the world - intended to provide a forum for e-commerce trends and developments.
Mr Cowan said securing the prestigious conference was a coup for the WA Government.
His announcement coincided with the opening of Smart Business '99, the first electronic commerce expo held in this State. The expo, at Burswood Convention Centre, has been organised jointly by the Department of Commerce and Trade and the Small Business Development Corporation.
The department will link with international group, IBC Conferences P/L, to stage World E-Com 1999.
"Perth will be the focus of some of the most high-profile players in the international business community and of the media organisations which cover it," Mr Cowan said.
"We are talking about decision makers from Government regulatory and technology bodies, global banking operations, multinational companies exploring e-commerce options, and industry innovators and suppliers.
"Winning this conference puts WA on the map as a city with a progressive approach to electronic commerce. This international focus will also provide a significant boost for our tourism."
Organisations which are expected to send representatives to World E-Com 1999 are the European Commission, US Internal Revenue Service, OECD, Commercenet - an informal network of 600 multinationals who liaise over matters of e-commerce - the World Bank and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications.
Mr Cowan said that as Australia's leading export State, WA had an intrinsic interest in the role of electronic commerce in world trade.
He said WA's e-commerce expo, Smart Business '99, had drawn "huge interest" from businesses of all sizes. The Department of Commerce and Trade, through its Office of Information and Communications (OIC), is currently raising awareness of how e-commerce is transforming the way communities do business.
The OIC worked in partnership with academia, Government agencies and local government, as well as business "to ensure we maximise WA's transformation to the information society".
Mr Cowan said the State Government was determined to be a catalyst for electronic commerce and electronic service delivery and most recently had announced a tender for substantially upgrading WA's regional telecommunications infrastructure over the next 18 months.
Media Contact: Peter Jackson (08) 9222 9595