I am delighted to announce the Hong Kong International Computer Conference 2008 (HKICC2008) will take place on 25-26 September 2008 at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Now in its 31st year, the HKICC has built a reputation as one of the leading IT events on the Hong Kong conference calendar and draws IT luminaries, business leaders and academics from around the globe. Sharing knowledge, discussing business issues and the latest IT developments, this annual conference has also become a forum for international and regional IT corporations to demonstrate their competitive edge and business offerings in the marketplace.

This year's conference is no exception and the theme - "Innovation - Creating Hong Kong's Digital Future" is certain to generate intense discussion. And I am equally certain that it will also produce welcome insight into the steps Hong Kong should take to ensure that the dreams of today become tomorrow's reality.

As the President of the Hong Kong Computer Society I am looking forward keenly to participating in this landmark event, as well as meeting familiar faces from past conferences and meeting new ones.

I hope that you will join us at HKICC in September 2008.

I think the American science fiction writer William Gibson got it spot on a few years ago when he told a reporter for The Economist that the future is already here … it's just not evenly distributed!

Of course, what Mr Gibson meant was that there are plenty of technologies here today with the potential to transform the way we live, work and enjoy ourselves. And more are coming along almost daily.

Choosing which technology, or mix of technologies for popular implementation can be almost as large an innovation as inventing the technology in the first place.

Picking our way through that landscape of technological possibilities and practical realities is what HKICC2008 is all about.

As the chairperson of the organising committee, my team has gone to great lengths to identify the challenges that Hong Kong faces – economically, socially and, just as importantly personally. Our goal has been to provide a forum to help the government, industry and the IT community to understand the issues.

I am confident that during the speaking sessions, round table discussions and the informal coffee and cocktail sessions, we’ll be able to highlight the most important focus areas - the key conditions from which an optimum digital future can emerge.

Before Hong Kong can build a digital future, it must first understand the breakthrough that are driving the city forward - technological as well as economic pressures, locally and globally.

That's where HKICC2008 comes in. With its theme of "Innovation - Creating Our Digital Future" - it is already attracting high-powered local and international speakers. The two-day event will provide a forum where stakeholders - Business, Government and IT professionals - can showcase successes and debate developments in keynote sessions and parallel tracks covering the following four broad areas:

-· Future Lifestyles
-· Next Generation Communications, Networks and Technologies
-· Financial Services and Security
-· IT in the Community

The increasing integration of IT in the fabric of business and private life makes HKICC2008 a must for executives - CEOs, CIOs, MIS and operations managers - in virtually any industry. Discussing issues that reach beyond Hong Kong's main economic pillars including Banking, Finance and Insurance, Trading, Transport and Logistics, Manufacturing, Retail and Hospitality, HKICC2008 promises to set a new benchmark for the Asia's IT industry.