COMPTEL last week hosted more than 2,000 attendees during the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2012 Convention & EXPO at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. The annual fall event, featuring educational sessions and networking in a sold-out exhibit hall, attracted attendees from all 50 states and eight countries.

“COMPTEL PLUS has again proven to provide valuable prospects for networking and education for all those who attend,” said COMPTEL CEO Jerry James. “From the energy in the exhibit hall, deal center and meeting rooms, to the interest in new business models, cloud solutions and policies shaping our industry, it is clear that those who attended our show are embracing the change that is constant in our sector and seeking new opportunities to differentiate themselves and serve businesses and consumers around the country with innovative broadband services.”

Highlights of the show included:

• Keynote address by Larissa L. Herda, chairman, CEO and president of tw telecom inc. During her remarks, Herda showcased the importance of innovation and called for the Federal Communications Commission to embrace smart, forward-looking competitive telecom policy with price and service quality rules where incumbents have market power, regardless of technology used.”
  

  Larissa L. Herda, chairman, CEO and president of tw telecom inc.

• A sold-out EXPO featuring more than 100 exhibitors – including 21 that were exhibiting at COMPTEL PLUS for the first time.
• An invitation-only CEO Breakfast, during which 60 C-level executives heard featured speaker Royce Holland, chairman of the board of Masergy Communications, share his perspective on the market and discuss strategies for managing companies at various stages of a company’s lifecycle.

In addition, interest in a variety of key topics of importance to the industry – IP-to-IP interconnection, universal service reform, last-mile access to copper and fiber, and the explosion of cloud solutions – drew significant attention to the educational sessions at COMPTEL PLUS. The convention featured three concurrent tracks – “The Road Map Ahead: Changing Business Opportunities,” “The Cloud Market: What’s the Forecast,” and “Policy Perspectives: Washington Impact” – that addressed business, regulatory and technology trends and issues that are shaping the communications industry. There also was a half-day workshop, entitled “A Three-Hour Tour of the New Universal Service Fund: Rough Seas or Smooth Sailing?,” hosted by Davis Wright Tremaine LLP.

Networking at its Finest
Throughout the COMPTEL PLUS show, more than 860 attendees used the Business PLANner deal center in the EXPO hall, and participated in almost 300 meetings with prospective and current customers.

News from the COMPTEL PLUS Fall 2012 Convention & EXPO can be found online in the COMPTEL PLUS Show Daily. For news from Monday, October 8 and Tuesday, October 9, visit the  COMPTEL PLUS archives.