Q&A: Peter Charissé, ANGA COM

Dr. Peter Charissé, Managing Director ANGA COM talks to Digital TV Europe about the exhibition’s move to a new location and next year’s highlights. 

Why is ANGA COM moving to the new exhibition halls?

Our move is linked with a comprehensive modernization initiative. We can expect two new, spacious halls and a modern congress center at the northern part of the Cologne fairgrounds. With that we will reach a completely new level regarding our appearance and quality of stay.

What additional advantages does the new location bring to the event?

Now, we can offer considerably more premium spaces to our exhibitors than in the last years. Besides the more high-grade appearance, our exhibitors can take advantages of several logistical improvements: No pillars, daylight, flexible floor ducts for supply connections and a much easier accessibility to the exhibition halls during construction hours.

What are the key themes for the 2017 congress and why have you focused on these?

First and foremost, the roll-out for the so-called “gigabit society” remains on the top list; and here the construction of fiber networks as well as the new cable Internet standard DOCSIS 3.1. In the field of media it seems to me that personalization is the most exciting topic. This includes time-shifted TV just as recommendation engines, big data, multiscreen, OTT and voice control. In addition we can expect new impulses from the topic smart home, I am quite sure that this holds a great market potential for network operators.

What is the current booking situation in the exhibition hall, especially with regards to the top exhibitors?

Already now, more than five months before ANGA COM’s start, 240 exhibitors have registered. More than 60 companies have used the relocation to increase their stand space. This year and as a new approach, we have contacted our main clients especially early and individually with new stand proposals. The response was fantastic: More than 85 percent of our top 50 exhibitors have already registered. Especially well received was that we could offer significantly more choices and design leeway within the new booth allocation. Just to name a few, especially prominent names: Cisco, Huawei, Nokia, Arris, Appear TV, AVM, Unitymedia, Astra, Eutelsat, Media Broadcast and the Deutsche Telekom have already booked their stands.

What do you see as the top two or three themes that will dominate discussion in the German broadband and TV industries over the next year?

It seems to me that four strategic questions are especially important. First, how can network operators and TV broadcasters successfully respond to the growing competition from OTT offerings? Second, does the transition from SD to HDTV continue to move forward; also with reference to the encrypted private channels? Third, how does the competition between last mile access technologies develop: FTTH, DOCSIS, DSL, Mobile and Wifi? And finally, will network operators be able to expand new product portfolios, e.g. in the field of smart home?