NCTA Opens Call for Presentation Proposals for 'CIO.IT | Competition 2011'

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) today issued a Call for Presentation Proposals as part of the annual CIO.IT track for Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and Information Technology (IT) executives at The Cable Show 2011 in Chicago June 14-16, 2011.  

The Cable Show 2011, NCTA's 60th Annual Convention and International Exposition, will take place at McCormick Place.  

Vendors and suppliers to the cable IT community are invited to make a bid to participate in the second annual panel-based competition within CIO.IT, "CIO.IT | Competition 2011."

NCTA is calling for proposals for presentations that would be scheduled as part of panel discussions at CIO.IT, in which vendors and suppliers would compete to help identify unique solutions to any of a wide variety of cable IT challenges.

Proposals can be submitted online through Tuesday, March 1.  From the proposals that are submitted, a blue-ribbon panel of cable CIOs will select a handful of finalists to make their presentations during the CIO.IT program.  The presentations made at the Show will be evaluated onsite by a jury of cable industry CIOs, who would identify their favorite ideas as winners.  

"Industry executives are turning to cable IT tools to make their infrastructure more efficient, improve process and work flow to benefit cable customers and viewers, and to improve the integrity of the cable plant and network," said Frank Boncimino, Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Time Warner Cable, and chair of the CIO.IT executive committee.  "In this competition, we're seeking ideas from our vendors to further improve cable IT, and ultimately, the customer experience."

According to the Call for Proposals, cable IT vendors and partners are invited to submit presentation proposals not to exceed 500 words, for brief, targeted, non-product-specific presentations that offer solutions to any of the industry's major IT issues.  Those that are awarded a presentation slot will enjoy a 10-15 minute opportunity to present their solution in a competitive format during panel presentations for CIO.IT track attendees during the two-day program.  Cable industry CIOs will comprise a board of reactors, pose questions of the presenters, provide feedback, and choose their favorite presentations.  Based on the success of their actual presentations, panel presenters may have the opportunity to meet further with cable industry CIOs and IT executives to discuss their ideas in more detail.  

Potential presenters are encouraged to look broadly at cable IT challenges.  The Call for Proposals suggests a variety of subject areas that might be addressed in presentations, including – but not limited to – infrastructure support for new technologies; business intelligence; direct marketing; customer intelligence; "TV Anywhere"-type authentication; digital rights management and content protection; cyber security; and new technologies to improve work flow.  

Presentations may be submitted online only at http://2011.thecableshow.com/Attending/CIOITCompetition.  The deadline for submissions is 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Tuesday, March 1.  

CIO.IT brings together leading industry CIOs, developers and professionals in a one-of-a-kind conference devoted to the vital category of information technology. Featuring panel discussions, networking opportunities and the CIO.IT | Competition 2011 presentations, the special track offers a one-stop immersion into everything IT.  For registration information for the CIO.IT program, and for a more complete explanation of CIO.IT | Competition 2011, visit the official website of The Cable Show at http://2011.thecableshow.com/Attending/CIOIT.  

Additional, up-to-the-minute information for The Cable Show is available via the official web site (www.thecableshow.com) or from NCTA's Department of Industry Affairs, at 202/222-2430.

NCTA is the principal trade association for the U.S. cable industry, representing cable operators serving more than 90 percent of the nation's cable television households and more than 200 cable program networks. The cable industry is the nation's largest broadband provider of high-speed Internet access, serving more than 40 million customers, after investing more than $165 billion to build two-way digital networks with fiber optic technology. Cable companies also provide state-of-the-art digital telephone service to more than 22 million American consumers.

SOURCE NCTA