Getting a kick out of CommunicAsia

This year, however, the 2006 FIFA World Cup takes centerstage.

I must confess though, I'm not a soccer person, although I once trained with the women's team in university. So yes, I do know what an offside is but then again, I support Spain not because I watch the Spanish league but because the goalie Iker Casillas is cute.

So although watching TV is not one of my favorite pastimes, my eyeballs gravitate to the box when the World Cup comes around every four years! Well, in a similar fashion, I'm sure many vendors, IT users and decision makers get excited about CommunicAsia and its sister events.

Every year, months before the event, the editorial team receives news pitches via e-mail and telephone. Some vendors send 10 copies of the same e-mail to our one generic address. Others, we've never even heard of till we get the e-mail, or we would hardly have heard a whisper from at other times of the year.

Some prominent vendors, though, are quiet, leading us to wonder if they are just there to "show face", that is, participate for the sake of participating. Perhaps the revved-up are those who have timed important announcements other than product launches during CommunicAsia...they are the ones that will probably garner substantial media attention. Perhaps it is not realistic to expect vendors to have significant corporate or product announcements every June.

The World Cup has shown us what drawing power a world-class event can have when it's held every four years. The question, therefore, is: Do we need a CommunicAsia every year?