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CEBU remains a strong and viable city for business process process outsourcing (BPO) activities.
?We have balanced infrastructure development with many domestic and international transportation [options]. We are the second largest city and fastest growing economy in the country contributing to 10 percent of national export and 30 percent to tourism sales; and we have the best government support, and all of our nine universities offer IT courses with some having tied up with BPO and call centers for skilled manpower,? said Sabino Dapat, chairman of the Cebu Educational Development Foundation for Information Technology (CEDF-IT).
Dapat added the Cebu City government alone has given a total of P2 million interest-free loans to students who wish to get trained for a call center job.
?University of Southern Philippines, University of San Carlos, University of Visayas, University of Cebu, and University of San Jose-Recoletos have existing tie-ups with BPO and call center companies here in Cebu for their employees,? Dapat said.
Dapat cited these factors after organizers of the 10th E-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition encouraged investors in Cebu to join the international forum and exhibit in Manila.
Marichelle Reyes, e-services project manager, assured the Cebuano investors of pre-event business matching and ?speed networking? during the e-services conference.
?Thus, this year we do business matching for you even before the event itself,? Reyes said.
Reyes said that ?speed networking? is similar to the speed dating shown in international television shows. ?wherein you'll sit and talk for ten minutes and then transfer to another seat to meet another prospect partner, and then set a longer meeting with your preferred businesses.?
Other activities in the 2010 exhibition include a Green IT and Outsourcing Nation area where environmentally related booths are gathered in one row for the convenience of conference participants, she added.
The conference comes as the country positions itself to grab a larger share of the multi-billion dollar business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. It hopes to generate at least $22 million in export sales and P110 million in domestic sales from at least 200 exhibitors, 800 conference delegates and 2,500 trade buyers.
?During the 2009 e-Services show we had 99 exhibitors, 1,464 trade visitors from Japan, US, Sweden and Taiwan [and] 673 conference delegates from the public and private sector and the academe. We have generated $100 million in booked export sales and P1.484 million in negotiated sales,? Reyes said.
The 10th E-Services Global Sourcing Conference and Exhibition will be held on February 8-9, 2010 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City, Metro Manila.
