Event Review: ETRE – The European Technology Roundtable Exhibition – Seville, October 6-9, 2002
By Julie Meyer, Contributing Editor and CEO, Ariadne Capital

Every year Alex does it once again. This is my fourth year attending ETRE, run by DASAR, http://www.dasar.com/about_us.html, whose investors include Mangrove VC based in Luxembourg. Every year Alex Vieux, the host and CEO of DASAR, collects the most interesting group of entrepreneurs, CEOs, and investors at a European fest to recount, opine and look ahead.    Thousands of business cards are exhanged.  Deals are conceptualised and consummated. No activity ever starts on time.

In 1999, ETRE was held in Monte Carlo, and I was only able to arrive on the third day due to some First Tuesday commitments, but it was still the best networking that I could have imagined.  I walked over to introduce myself to Alex, and he said in classic Alex way, “I know who you are.”   Alex knows who everyone is.    He is the ultimate relationship manager and networker.    He has earned his stripes:  www.dasar.com/biography.html .

Then came Prague, Rome and Seville. In Rome, October 2001, the buses were going up one of the hills to the gala evening while attendees were on cell phones hearing that the US had begun bombing in Afghanistan.  The procession was heavily protected by a police escort as we represented a heavily Western target.   

This year in Seville once again, Eric Benhamou [3Com], Tim Draper, Paul Deninger [Broadview] and Gil Shwed [Checkpoint] showed up – they are ETRE regulars.   In addition, Ben Verwaayen [BT] Michael Marks [Flextronics], Craig Barret [Intel], Rob Glaser [Real Networks], and Lars Nyberg [NCR] gave keynotes.

Craig Barrett, CEO of Intel, was heard saying, "You can't save your way out of a recession. You've got to keep innovating."  True words I thought.  It is precisely in the downturn that one can surge ahead and gain market share.    And that’s what Infineon Technologies AG has done.  A decade ago it looked as if Europe would not have for much longer an electronics industry. Infineon grew itself into a powerhouse by innovating against the current.  

Marco de Benedetti, CEO of Telecom Italia Mobile, said, “don’t confuse markets and technology. Sell the applications; don’t try to sell the technology. The average man on the street may not care if you try to sell him GPRS, but try to sell him a picture phone, and you may have a sale.”  

Rob Glaser launched the Helix Community at ETRE this year - https://www.helixcommunity.org/ which is a collaborative effort between RealNetworks, independent developers, and leading companies to create and extend the Helix DNA™ platform, the first open and comprehensive platform for digital media delivery. For a fascinating view on the Microsoft vs. Real Networks debate, see link:  http://www.realnetworks.com/solutions/leadership/advantage.html

ETRE has several "Meet The Money" panels where start-ups can pitch their ideas to venture capitalists. Rather reminiscent of First Tuesday, I felt right at home joining one of the venture capitalist panels.  However the 90 seconds that Alex gave each CEO/entrepreneur to pitch reduced the sessions to little more than entertainment. Still, most start-ups that I spoke to were profitable, and all sectors were represented.

Alex has a unique interview style. Incredibly well-briefed, he asks the questions of his star guests that everyone in the room wants to know. If he has a failing, it is that he knows so many of the technology and venture industries titans that he constantly makes reference to his friends, and to the first time attendee of ETRE, it sounds like name-dropping.

“Who’s Who at ETRE” is the Bible of the Industry, and not surprisingly, not everyone who appears in it appears at the conference, but it’s a phenomenal reference.  After the World Economic Forum, ETRE is the must-go conference that Bundeep and I attend yearly.  Ariadne Capital was there in force this year with six attendees.  Save your pennies though: it’s not cheap. You pay for what you get though in life!