GO Communications has been recently appointed to manage PR and Communications duties for the 26th World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT 2022), which will take place from 13 to 15 September at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre in Penang.
The event is scheduled to kick-off with an opening ceremony officiated by the Head of State of Penang, Tun Dato’ Seri Utama Ahmad Fuzi bin Haji Abdul Razak; Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri bin Yaakob and Chief Minister of Penang, YAB Tuan Chow Kon Yeow.
WCIT 2022 will see the convergence of 4,000 registered participants, including 200 speakers, composed of industry visionaries, captains of industry, government leaders, innovators and academics from over 60 countries. The congress will also host more than 500 technology brands within an event space exceeding 6,500-square-metres. The event has also bestowed Malaysia the honour of being one of the few countries to twice host WCIT, dubbed as the “Olympics of the World’s Information Technology Industry”.
“This is truly a proud moment for Malaysia to host this prestigious event which will see the convergence of multiple stakeholders working in concert to push boundaries towards aggressive digitalisation. WCIT will actively engage organisations and individuals from around the world who are leaders and innovators – movers and shakers in their own right. The summit will also serve as the ultimate platform for businesses and brands to seize opportunities through product and service showcases, and B2B and networking sessions, among others,” said Dr. Sean Seah, Chairman of PIKOM, the organiser of WCIT 2022.
“In this regard, we are delighted to partner with GO Communications to make this event a resounding success. Their vast expertise and experience in managing large-scale world-class events within the digital and business arena, compounded by creative, effective and strategic execution, make them the ideal partner for us. As such, they have been tasked with handling our PR and Communication executions leading up to, during and following WCIT 2022,” he added.
WCIT 2022 aims to create and encourage conversations for the betterment of humankind, true to its theme of “Connecting and Transforming the World.” Leading speakers at the conference include the Co-Father of the Internet and Google’s Chief Internet Evangelist, Vint Cerf; NASA’s CFO, Douglas Comstock; CNN Business Correspondent, Richard Quest; President of Portulans Institute, Chair of Global Business School Network, and Dean at the Said Business School at Oxford University, Dr. Soumitra Dutta; Founder of the International Women in Cyber Security Foundation, Mary-Jo de Leeuw; and Strategic Futurist and author, Nancy Giordano.
In conjunction with WCIT 2022, PIKOM will also launch TechFest Penang, a five-day interactive experiential festival from 14 – 18 September. With free public admission, attendees will be exposed to new technological advances influencing lifestyle and business. The festival is poised to be Asia’s foremost vessel for stimulating innovative conversations between the public and global tech influencers.
With a variety of interactive digital arts and culture showcases and a performance from the Penang Philharmonic Orchestra, TechFest Penang will break a national record with the debut of a 688-light and music drone show, proudly created in Malaysia. This will serve as a thrilling entertainment experience for the public to enjoy from the shores of the island and mainland Penang on 15 September at 10.30 pm.
“We are excited yet humbled at being selected to work with such a prestigious summit as WCIT 2022 and its associated events, and thank the organisers for this amazing opportunity. Showcasing an event of this scale and magnitude is certainly no mean feat, but we believe we have effectively strategised a brilliant multifaceted campaign, while leveraging on our past experience with similar international events and summits to make WCIT 2022 truly shine!” said Peter de Kretser, Founder and CEO of GO Communications.
Besides WCIT, the agency has, in recent times, worked with some noteworthy clients who are making waves in the digital and tech space, including travel booking platform AGODA; community-based navigational app WAZE; action camera and tech brand GoPro; UX outfit Projekt202; and Ministry XR, a trailblazer on a mission to redefine the digital realm through the development of Spatial Computing interfaces including Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), Mixed Reality (MR), Multimodal Interaction and Tangible User Interface. GO Communications has also been the PR agency on record for Defence Services Asia (DSA) and National Security Asia (NATSEC) – two of the biggest defence and national security-related events in Asia – over the past 10 years.
