My first ProIT 2012 Conference Participation


Yesterday, 16 May 2012, I attended the 2nd edition of ProIT at the Swami Vivekananda International Convention Center (SVICC), Pailles. ProIT is a Business to Business (B2B) Exhibition and Conference Event targeting IT professionals and business professionals from Mauritius and the Indian Ocean.

The objectives of ProIT Exhibition & Conference event are to:

  • Create awareness on business solutions for Corporate, Enterprise and SMBs’.
  • Provide information on the products, services and technologies that will empower businesses.
  • Promote expertise and know-how in business solutions.
  • Sensitise on the applications of ICT and technologies for effective business and individual solutions.
  • Establish business partnerships and deals.
  • Direct contact with stakeholders in need of ICT business solutions.
I attended the event mainly because of the need of a CRM business solution. There were conference events whereby Consultants from different companies presented Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011. For me, it was an ideal opportunity to learn about this product and have a demo. I have experience on Oracle Siebel CRM but have never worked on MS Dynamics CRM.
I started my day my knocking the door of LCI After Sales Service for my iPad 2. My device is unfortunately faulty and i have to use an on-loan device 🙁 I wonder that I might be amongst the rare persons who have received a faulty Apple device, detected after 2 months of usage.
Then I was present at Swami Vivekananda Pailles, around 10.30am. There was no crowd, it was a cool atmosphere. As I entered, I could see Business People in nice suite or IT employees walking here and there. After taking my registration badge at the reception, I headed towards the following conferences/product demo:
10h30 – 11h15 FRCI Improve Collaboration & Productivity with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 & Dynamics CRM  2011
Akthar Dilmohamud
11h30 – 12h15 HP HP Professional Innovations for PSG
Richard Stainforth
HP PSG Category Manager
1)Business Rugged Design
2) HP Notebook Lineup
3) Ultrabooks
The HP Manager talked a bit Windows 8 Launch, followed by HP’s folio of notebooks and the Ultrabook lasting for 36 hours of battery! And finally, the new HP Spectre which will be on market soon. This product is intended not for the consumer market but only for business executives.
This event was special given that now HP is in Mauritius (with a small sales team of 4 till now).
Then I proceeded towards the exhibition. I landed on the booth of FRCI for a live demo of MS Dynamics CRM. I highly appreciated the expert assistance of a Consultant who presented the business solution to me. He was attentive to my business requirements and was trying to ‘sell’ the product adapted to my specific Industry (Real Estate). We exchanged business cards and would meet for a product demo followed by a business proposal/quotation in the weeks to come.
I was quite happy after viewing MS Dynamics CRM as its very user friendly, it integrates with Microsoft Outlook, it is a platform for development and in Mauritius there are companies who are Microsoft Partners and providing support on the Product.
Next, I moved on the Stand of CiSolve Ltd, where was present the Project Manager, the CRM Lead Consultant and also a Developer friend from Triolet. After a brief presentation of the product on her part, I requested for a demo at our business office. Co-incidence: She was also an ex Siebel CRM developer who has now switched to MS Dynamics CRM!
Moving forward, I met Software Concepts CEO, whom I saw for the first time at the Sage Pastel Evolution Launch. I told them that the free training that I luckily won was difficult to attend given it was in weekdays, in the morning. Then talking about business, we exchanged words about the Sage products’ market in Mauritius. Conclusion: SFT ltd is the only company in Mauritius having a dedicated team of 25 people for Sage Pastel for Small and Medium Companies. I put forward my requirement of a CRM to be implemented at our Marketing dept. Surprisingly he told me Sage Pastel has already a  CRM incorporated and that we would pay another CRM license ineffectively. Well, that was food for thought! I requested for a sales representative to come for a demo of the Sage CRM.
Time for lunch! Where I met an old lady who came to the event for visiting around. We shared some words about Life, in general. And it was time for my awaited presentation from SIL:
13h30 – 14h15 SIL Title: Managing projects with Microsoft projects server 2010
Presenter: Poonam Canniah (Consultant)
14h30 – 15h15 SIL Title: Implementing Oracle e-Business Suite R12
Presenters: Varshinee Santokhee-Veerasamy (Consultant)
Ameena Toofanny (Project Manager)
At the Oracle eBusiness Suite presentation, there were professionals in Oracle present. I asked around 2 questions concerning the database being used by the application etc.
Conclusion:
I think this B2B exhibition is intended for companies who want to implement a business solution and want to visit the event in order to know about the possibilities ie. whether a custom software should be developed or an ERP or CRM needs to be implemented. Mauritius is facing major challenges in various economic sectors. Implementing Quality IT solutions would help drastically to reduce costs and increase productivity, if not to mention, most importantly it can provide a Competitive Edge. I think that the marketing of the ProIT 2012 needs to be re-considered as I was disappointed with the low number of participation of visitors at the event.

Ashesh

Graduated from University of Mauritius, Young IT Specialist Award winner from BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, Part-Time Lecturer Open University of Mauritius. Loves to create websites and perform digital marketing. Blogging since 2007...

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