PSIA gears up for first SOFTCON.PH

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Software Industry Association (PSIA), the unifying organization of some 160 software companies operating in the country, is set to launch the first annual Philippine software industry conference in the country dubbed as SOFTCON.PH: The Philippine Software Industry Conference on Oct. 10 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City.

Five decades since the rise of modern computer programming and the creation of the word “software” itself, the Philippine local software industry is ready to claim its rightful spot as one of the world’s top suppliers of software products and services, as well as a key economic player with $1.16 billion in foreign revenues contributed to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and close to 60,000 full-time employees as of 2012.

“The recent recognition of the Philippines as the preferred destination for IT-BPO services, as well as the intense interest in our growing community of software startups converged to trigger the idea of SOFTCON.PH,” PSIA president Joey Gurango said.

Gurango believes that a conference like SOFTCON.PH is instrumental in the expansion of the Philippine software industry as it “can inspire, educate, and encourage members of the industry to grow and prosper through software technologies.”

The theme this year, “Monetizing the Software Megatrends: Cloud + Mobile +Social + Big Data,” is in recognition of the dominant elements in information technology (IT) that are shaping the world today.

The convergence of these elements, also referred to by industry analysts as the “nexus of forces,” has revolutionized business models and processes, according to the conference website.

Meanwhile, Gartner Inc., an IT research advisory body, warned that “organizations that ignore the nexus of forces will be displaced by those that can move into the opportunity space more quickly.”

“The megatrends have impacted the society in a way that no other technology has in the last 100 years,” said Gurango.

The local software industry being highly adept to the megatrends “brings the Philippines closer than ever to the epicenter of the global software industry,” he added.

SOFTCON.PH is a whole-day conference with opening and closing plenary sessions, four breakout sessions, and one exhibition hall where the PSIA will showcase Filipino startup groups.

It aims to bring together the government, top local and foreign businessmen, software rainmakers and professionals, and the media in engaging panel discussions to determine how to strategically take advantage of the opportunities presented by the megatrends, as well as to examine the status of the Filipino software talent and startups relative to the rest of the world. 

For registration inquiries, e-mail at cathy.umali@psia.org.ph. For sponsorship opportunities, e-mail at softcon2013@psia.org.ph.

Founded in 1988, the PSIA launches SOFTCON.PH 2013 on its 25th anniversary. The Department of Science and Technology- Information and Communications Office is a co-organizer of SOFTCON.PH.