The highlights of the two day event included a visionary opening by Ben Verwaayen, Chief Executive of BT plc where he discussed the particular challenges BT faces in the current economic climate. Also speaking on the first day were Richard Christou [Chief Executive, Fujitsu Services], David Levin [Chief Executive, Symbian], Peter Radley [Chairman, Antenova], Andrew Sukawaty [Non-Executive Deputy Chairman, mmO2], and Steve Pusey [VP EMEA, Nortel Networks].

On the second day Brian McBride [VP Northern Europe, Dell], and Duncan Mitchell [VP & General Manager UK & Ireland, Cisco], discussed their customer-centric approach. Their discussion centered around the concern that although many companies profess to being customer-centric, in fact, cost, corporate commitment and commercial reality are considerations that hamper this claim.

Brian McBride explained how, for Dell, a 5% increase in customer retention leads to a 75% increase in customer lifetime value. Also, now that 80% of their PC problems can be fixed remotely, and over 50% of their transactions are online, Dell can deliver service much more cost effectively. Duncan Mitchell explained that, through a web-based model of customer service, Cisco can save dealing with 70,000 calls a month and make a $200m saving. In addition, as all their staff have a salary incentive linked to customer satisfaction, there is real motivation to improve.

A further session analysed what new waves will drive IT spending growth. Sir Robin Saxby [Chairman of ARM Holdings], discussed what will drive technology companies to a competitive edge next. Sir Saxby was involved in the founding of ARM and served as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer since joining the company full-time in February 1991. In October 2001, he split the role of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, becoming Executive Chairman while Warren East took on the role of Chief Executive Officer.

Sir Saxby discussed the future for a Home Gateway/Networking Company to drive the take up of unified home communications and entertainment.  He was interested in the growth of China as an Economy and in the break down of separable segments of consumer interconnectivity (phone, electronics, PC, and security). In terms of the market, Sir Saxby had posted its first decrease in earnings in 48 quarters, but had started in the last downturn and was confident of riding the wave.

Also speaking on the second day were Rick Skett [Managing Director UK & Ireland, Intel], Ian Smith [Managing Director, Oracle UK, Ireland, South Africa], and Alex van Someren [CEO of nCipher].