Showtime links up business and brains

Rene Smith, of the Christchurch educational initiative Science Alive, with one of the stars of the ES Connectivity show. PICTURE / JOHN McCOMBE

Perhaps it was the tranquil setting near the Avon River, or just something in the water, but this past weekend's ES Connectivity electronics trade show in Christchurch was the model of civilised behaviour.

There was none of the barging, elbowing and horse-trading found at shows in other, less discerning parts of the world. Here, things were done with a bit more decorum.

As exhibitors applied the finishing touches on Friday morning, the Flower Duet from Lakme by Delibes, performed by two local opera singers, soothed the ears and provided a taste of things to come.

During the show, soft jazz hummed around the exhibition hall, which was as much a chance for the industry players to meet each other as to ring up the till receipts.

James Saruchera, show organiser and projects leader for sponsor Canterbury Development Corporation, said the effect was intentional.

"You actually feel it when you get in there," he said. "There is just that sense that we're all here to cooperate, we're all here to partner, now let's get on with it."

One-size-only stalls could be mistaken for a lack of trade-show sophistication, but they were also part of the plan.

"That's really so there's a level playing field because the name of the game is innovation, not size," Saruchera said.

Minister of Economic Development Jim Anderton and technology pioneer Sir Angus Tait opened the show and welcomed exhibitors.

Tait, knighted in 1999 for his contribution to electronics, said ES Connectivity was a showcase for Kiwi ingenuity.

"It's an opportunity for the industry to say to the outside world, 'here we are, this is what we can do'."

Tait's radio communications firm, Tait Electronics, exports about 95 per cent of its product, which begs the question: why display at a Christchurch trade show?

"Our presence here is more an act of co-operation with the show organisers," Tait said. "We tend to be regarded, whether it's deserved or not, as something of a central pillar."

Forty-two companies from around New Zealand took part in the show at the Christchurch Convention Centre, which attracted about 600 visitors over two days. And although the event is in only its second year, Saruchera said the show had already proved its worth.

"This event is extremely important for a number of reasons. It enables the existing industry to connect to the next generation of technology so we remain at the cutting edge of what we do, [and] to ensure that companies have got a good feel for some of the capabilities that are around them."

Selling was still on the agenda, however, and Saruchera expects the show to have generated about $3.5 million in sales.

And while business in the main hall flowed serenely along like the nearby Avon, break-out sessions gave people the chance to learn about entrepreneurship, good business practice, global trading and the future of Macromedia's Flash technology.

Kiwiflash 2005, a series of sessions, attracted more than 200 people. Dubbed a robotics, electronics and Flash conference, it aimed to show people what could be achieved with Flash.

Christopher Blair, managing director of exhibitor ZoDAL and Kiwiflash co-organiser, said the nature of Flash had changed over the past five years.

While it used to be merely a tool to make websites look more exciting, it has now grown into an essential site-building utility. Data streaming, coupled with a user-friendly graphical interface, was creating new possibilities, including information kiosks, advertising, business management and robotic control, he said.

As an example, Blair demonstrated to a crowd of about 70 a project under development that instructs a radio-controlled car using a mobile phone. On his phone, he had two simple graphics - up and down arrows built using Flash Lite, a version for mobile devices. After selecting the up graphic, a submission was sent to a gateway control system where it was deciphered and sent back to a local computer, which in turn controlled the radio transmission to the car.

The whole process took a few seconds before the car sped off as instructed.

When it came to robots, David Leverton, chief executive of the youth-focused Science Alive centre, stole the show.

Working to computer-programmed instructions, the centre's latest toy-sized robot performed delicate rolls, push-ups and acts of balance.

A crowd several deep formed around a corner of the hall as onlookers spied over shoulders to watch the electronic marionette perform its gymnastic routine.

Leverton said robotic expansion in the economy during the next 10 to 15 years would need skilled labour to design, operate and maintain robots.

Industry support for Science Alive could ensure such skilled labour was home-grown.

"To invest in us is to invest in their own future."