Anger as US firms snub DTI IT event

DTI spends six-figure sum on conference attended by less than 100 visitors

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) last week wasted hundreds of thousands of pounds on a US event that attracted less than 100 visitors, according to furious exhibitors.

Organisers were angry that Silicon Valley companies had showed no interest in UK/US Partners in Technology, an exhibition and conference held last week in Santa Clara, California, to promote trans-atlantic IT business.

Those who attended the exhibition included Gateway CEO Ted Waitt, Oracle president Ray Lane, California state governor Pete Wilson, chief scientific adviser Sir Robert May and Prince Andrew.

But exhibitors reported that attendances over the first two days of the exhibition failed to reach three figures.

David Babb, project director at the DTI, was angry at the ?arrogance and apathy? shown by Silicon Valley companies towards the exhibition.

He said: ?The conference had excellent speakers but, again, the numbers were not good.? The largest number of people attending a conference panel session was 39.

Babb admitted that the State of California has paid nothing towards the event. ?It has given practical help, not financial,? he said. He refused to say how much the DTI had spent but admitted it was a six-figure sum and that the conference was the ?biggest ever IT event? the DTI has run.

Despite DTI subsidies, stand holders were still annoyed at wasting thousands of pounds on the event. One said: ?I?m not happy. I intend to find out why no one is here.? Another said his managing director would take a very dim view of the #4,000 and eight days he has spent there.

Exhibitor Alan Fawcett said: ?It?s dead; a disaster. We have done more business with other stand holders than with the few people who turned up.?