The Malta Conference

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Telemedia experts from across the world enjoyed the fun (despite not a lot of sun) in Malta at the WT09 World Telemedia Show last week at the Corinthian San Gorg Hotel in St. Julians, Malta.

Business was the order of the two day show, and by the looks of the packed meeting tables, there was a lot of deal making getting

ATS's Bob Bentz was a featured speaker at World Telemedia 2009 in Malta.

 done.  The show sported 313 attendees, significantly less than in previous years when 900+ attended, but those there were clearly the movers and shakers of the telemedia industry.

That didn’t mean that there wasn’t time for fun.  Many of the delegates found time to visit the many nightclubs in nearby Paceville.  On Sunday, the day before the actual start of the show, World Telemedia’s Jarvis Todd hosted a three-hour “schmooze cruise” that left from the hotel docks and sailed to the Maltese capital of Valetta.  The hits of the boat cruise were clearly the text chat girls led by Lorna Williamson and Helen Allen of Text121Chat.  On Monday night, industry veterans Nigel Tatlock of Talkster and Nigel Barnes of Paul Raymond Mobile hosted an outstanding party at Club 22 on the penthouse floor of the Hilton Hotel.  The view from the tallest building in Malta was great, although some delegates left earlier than they would have liked due to the smoke.

For the first time ever, World Telemedia hosted experts from the internet gaming industry at the show.  As Malta is the most important international i-gaming licensing country for the European Union, local representatives did not have to travel far to meet with the group.  Topics of discussion included marketing, billing, and the regulatory environment for online sports books, online poker, and online bingo.

There were also the normal sessions of panelists from various European countries who gave their opinions on the future of the key industries of telemedia, including the mainstays of voice and internet dating and chat lines.  Much of the dating and chat industries that was once the exclusive bastion of premium rate service lines is now part of the premium SMS and click to call billing methods via cell phones.  One especially impressive mobile dating product was shown by Alisdair Anderson of  IsoMob.

While all countries around the globe are mired in a worldwide recession that is seeing the auto and banking industries suffering, there appears to be little concerns in the telemedia industry.  Most indicated that the industry is not suffering from the worldwide recession because more people are staying home for their entertainment.  That, along with the increased penetration of iPhone technologies, is spurring continued growth of the industry.

The show had a definite international flavor to it with attendees from most European countries plus the United States and Canada.  The United Kingdom was clearly the most well represented country; attendance represented the continued strength of the UK premium rate services market.

International markets were also the focus of a series of speeches about country-specific markets, including the United States and Canada, India, Italy, Germany and Austria, and eastern Europe.  The speech by Bob Bentz, of Advanced Telecom Services, was the best attended of the international market speeches and Bentz had the audience very involved with his informative and entertaining presentation about the United States and Canadian 900 number markets.

World Telemedia 2009 showed once again that it is an important part of a telemedia industry that continues to show growth and innovation despite a sagging worldwide economy.  The author looks forward to a chance to attend the 2010 World Telemedia Show.  But, next year, let’s do something about that wind and lack of sun.

Anthony Wayne is a writer for Get Clickz which reports on the internet and telemedia industries.

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