Digital media firm goes Dutch to extend its web

By ADAM GIFFORD

Auckland web development company WebMedia says its Amsterdam junket was a success - even though Dutch thieves stole more than $30,000 of equipment.

Chief executive Glenn Harding said that while the trip resulted in positive leads and the strengthening of relationships with like-minded companies, it was also a chance to reward 50 members of staff who went along for the ride. Video film taken at a party organised by the firm in Holland will be used for marketing.

Mr Harding said Russell Brown, whose Hard News slot on student radio station bFM is sponsored by WebMedia, was also taken to Holland to meet people working in interactive television and to develop content for various publications.

Although the company intended to use a special web site to present material to New Zealand customers, the theft of laptops and video cameras from a hotel room reduced the amount of material it could put up.

Mr Harding denied rumours in the Auckland market last week that WebMedia was about to lay off non-billable staff.

He said that while work was still coming in, and "while there is no question the market is challenging," Webmedia was a relatively small company globally.

"With the exchange rate in New Zealand, we don't have to develop as much work in Hong Kong or San Francisco," the site of the other WebMedia offices.

Hong Kong-based technology incubator techpacific.com owns 10 per cent of WebMedia.

WebMedia won three awards at the European Multi Media awards in Amsterdam last year, and wanted to build on contacts made at that time.

Mr Harding said the company was keen to build up its work in wireless application development and interactive television.

Its Melbourne office had already developed WAP (wireless application protocol) applications.

"We've developed partnerships in Europe which can help us once opportunities arise," he said.

On the way to Holland, the WebMedia group had also picked up a new client in London - a company making a traffic management system for digital delivery of video content.

"They have a content archiving system and a process for digitising analogue to digital content on the fly, but they have no graphical user interface. It's all command line driven.

"We will build applications to support their technology in specific client engagements."