The team has barely had time to bathe in the glory of a very successful event in Sydney. More than 5,900 people have passed through the security barriers in Darling Harbour in the last few days, and this year is the first time that the number of attendees with a business development job title have outnumbered those with a sales background. A number of the industry sessions have been overbooked and exhibitors have been asked to share stands in order to fit into the hall.
ôThe weather has been fantastic which has put everyone in a great mood,ö says Patrik Neutjens, director of Sibos, who has been operating on three-hourÆs sleep a night for the last week. ôBut it canÆt be just be the weather that has made it a success, otherwise everyone would be outside, and theyÆre not, theyÆre inside attending sessions. Even the sessions held at the very end of the day have been full.ö
Neutjens says if Sydney wasnÆt such a long flight from the northern hemisphere, it would come close to the perfect host city. ôIÆve had people telling me that we should hold it here every year.ö
The number of worldclass restaurants and bars dotted around the stunning harbour front has certainly made it easy for the banks to impress clients with lavish parties.
Feedback from the plenaries and the conference sessions has also been very positive. Of course, it is not at every Sibos that SWIFT gets to launch its four-year plan and the visions laid out in the 2010 strategy this year are far reaching. A lot of weight has been placed on SWIFTÆs four-pronged plan to expand its footprint in coming years and encourage deeper, richer and stronger co-operation between members. The organisation is happy that the more cautious phase of resilience and risk management that followed September 11 is now far behind it and that it can once again propose more ambitious plans.
Boston will be a chance to see just whether this goal of greater co-operation between members is being achieved. Members and delegates will be checking up to see whether emerging markets account for greater SWIFT activity, whether more corporates are communicating with their banks via the network, whether European financial services are truly integrated, or whether alternative investments have been brought further into the fold.
The last Sibos in the US was held in Atlanta in 2004. With its southern flavour and its industrial backdrop, Atlanta is a very different city to the more genteel and European atmosphere of Boston. And the eastern seaboard city is big financial hub too so a lot of attendees wonÆt have far to travel. The fraternity of fund managers that is based in Boston also means that Sibos 2007 is likely to attract a higher turn out from the securities industry.
ôBoston is easy to get to from New York, Chicago and Canada so that will appeal to a lot of people and the brand new convention centre is pretty impressive,ö says Neutjens, who has been holding meetings this week with exhibitors and the bigger banks that will be hosting the event.
Neutjens says he has already pinned down the conference centre, staked out social venues and booked hotels for the event which will be held between October 1 and 5. Have you?
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