Good afternoon ladies & gentlemen,

If there was ever a year that Infocom appreciated the support of its stake-holders, it’s this. Believe me.

When we started out three years back, our capital was, more than anything, the dream we had in our hearts. Three years down the line, Infocom is being billed as the biggest IT exposition in the country. In range, scale, magnitude and participation, Infocom has assumed proportions that go way beyond that initial dream. From Day One, both the conference and exhibition venues have been packed full with thousands of IT enthusiasts. Way beyond our projected estimations. Little wonder, we ran out of bags and tags. Every session crackled with fire as some of the best and brightest speakers on the IT horizon entered into dialogues with a responsive audience. Users, providers, industry leaders, executives, policy-makers, techies and academics took stock, shared feedback, brainstormed. Ideas floated. People mingled and networked as if there’s no tomorrow.

“Control the spirit of tomorrow” — that was the spirit of Infocom 2004. And I am happy to say, that ‘tomorrow’ promises to be brighter in 2005.

	Our neighbour, Bangladesh, has participated for the first time this year. What with Infocom getting wide media coverage there and 10 journalists and industry leaders joining in as delegates. They have promised more substantial participation next year. We certainly look forward to that.
	We have acquired two more feathers in our cap. I am proud to say that Germany and Thailand have promised to set up pavillions in 2005 (PAUSE) making Infocom truly international!
	The road ahead is indeed brightly lit! This year, we interacted with CeBit — the most-respected name in the world of IT expos — and let me break this exciting piece of news to you: CeBit will, in all probability, co-host Infocom 2006.

Infocom is the product of many minds coming together and reflects the spirit of collaboration in the truest sense.

For the first time in the country, a media company has joined hands with an IT body to pull out a platform like this. And it has catapulted the East on to the IT map of India.

If journalism is a trade that can educate and entertain, inspire and change, the Anandabazar group in India has been sitting the readers by the campfire as well as providing vital public services for the last eight decades. What started in the 1920s as a voice of the subjugated people in the country's anti-colonial struggle, has now morphed into one of the foremost media houses with nine publications, two of the country's leading book-publishing houses and a premier TV news channel — reaching out to 23 million people every day. Businessworld, with the eminent editor Mr Tony Joseph, at its helm, is the leading business magazine in the country. And, as you all know, the flagship brand for Infocom.

Nasscom, as you know, is the IT apex body in the country. The top-most Chamber of Commerce for softwares and services, Nasscom has emerged as the single-point reference for of all things IT. A non-profit organisation consisting of more than 870 member companies, it represents more than 95 % of the IT software & services revenue pie. Nasscom acts as the essential growth-catalyst for the country’s dynamic software sector.

Now let’s check out what we achieved this year …

50,000 sq ft of exhibition space … up by 250% from 2002
150 stands … up by 40% from 2002
Over 1,00,000 visitors … up by 200% from 2002

We provided a unique platform this year - The Jobmart – bringing together IT career aspirants and recruiters.
We brought together two poles of the IT spectrum - industry and the academia - for the first time. We’re overwhelmed by the response.

On behalf of Infocom 2004:

My warmest thanks to our Chief Guest, Mr. Mukesh Ambani, for coming down to Calcutta solely to inaugurate the event in spite of his busy schedule.

I thank Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, for his participation in the Chief Ministers’ Interactive Session.
I thank Mr. Manabendra Mukherjee, Minister for IT & Environment, West Bengal, for his unstinting support.
I thank the Chief Ministers & their representatives who participated in the Chief Ministers’ Round Table.
I thank all the sponsors for supporting the event & all our exhibitors for hosting a world-class exhibition
I thank the speakers who came from India & abroad and shared their relevant knowledge & precious time.
I thank the delegates - especially our friends from Bangladesh - who have been with us during this time.
I thank the Government of West Bengal, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police for their whole-hearted support; the Ministry of Sports & Youth Affairs for providing us the exhibition venue; the media for the extensive coverage of the event; IIM Calcutta for organisisng lively quiz shows; BSNL for infrastructure support and the ITC Sonar Bangla for hosting the conference.

Let’s think Infocom 2005 now. We’re very happy to announce the dates of Infocom 2005. It will be a three-day conference and five-day exhibition - between Wednesday, the 7th of December to Sunday, the 11th of December. So, friends, please block the dates in your diary from now.

As all good things must come to an end, so does Infocom 2004.

We shall now draw the curtains on the conference with the National Anthem.