Call Centre Expo 2009 kicked off today in Birmingham, the UK with four Egyptian participating companies specialized in the call center industry.
Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has sponsored the Egyptian companies in the exhibition hosting more than 200 specialists and exhibitors.
During the first day, Patrick O'Brien, a prominent Datamonitor analyst, gave a 20-minute presentation on Egypt's competitiveness in outsourcing.
O'Brien noted that Datamonitor conducted a survey covering 200 leading international companies about the countries they prefer for establishing contact centers. Egypt came in the fourth place after Czech Republic, Chile and India among 21 other countries.
Czech came in the first place before India despite the lower cost of labor in the latter, O'Brien said.
O'Brien pointed out that Egypt is featured by competitive advantages, especially the number of multilingual graduates capable of working in the field. Most of these calibers, he noted, speak English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
O'Brien noted that the Egyptian enabling environment is another factor helping businesses to start in Egypt. Such an environment is supported by a government that gives a special attention to the IT services industry.
Another element, he added, is the competitive cost of operations in Egypt, which is lower than other countries.
The first day of the exhibition witnessed a high turnout of visitors toward the Egyptian companies, which showcased a wide-range of services and products.
ITIDA had earlier held a meeting with Raya Contact Center, Wasla Contact Center, Egyptian Contact Center Operator (ECCO) and Information Dynamics to prepare and coordinate the Egyptian participation in Call Centre Expo 2009.
Egypt has contributed to Call Centre Expo 2009 as a major sponsor. Egypt's promotional signs and slogan have been placed at the registration corner and other places all over the exhibition.
In addition, ITIDA bought an advertizing space in Call Centre Focus Magazine, which is one of the official and most read magazines of the event. It is also a significant magazine specialized in the call center industry, not only on the level of the UK but also worldwide. ITIDA has showcased the special status of Egypt as an outsourcing destination through the magazine ad.
Moreover, Egypt has been promoted at the event through giveaways like carrying cases with Egypt's promotional campaign slogan printed on them and inserts inside the bags including names and slogans of Egyptian companies.
Also, registration officers have been wearing clothes with Egypt's promotional slogan on them.
Additionally, ITIDA has sponsored official email messages sent to visitors by the exhibition's administration twice in which information about ITIDA, Egypt’s promotional campaign slogan and the location of the Egyptian pavilion were included.
Held for the seventh year, Call Center Expo is Europe’s number one exhibition and conference for contact centers and integrated customer management solutions. In 2008, 5917 visitors visited the exhibition and attended the conference, an 8% more than the 2007 attendance.
