Taipei, June 8 (CNA) Computex Taipei, Asia's largest information technology fair, closed Saturday after attracting a record number of international buyers and visitors, organizers said Saturday.
The five-day computer trade show attracted 38,300 international buyers and visitors from 173 countries, up 6 percent from last year, said Thomas Huang, a section manager at the Taiwan External Trade Development Council.
"The growth has proven that Computex Taipei has become the best platform for information and communications technology procurement," Huang told reporters on the sidelines of a press conference.
Of the 173 countries and regions that had buyers at the show, Japan, the United States, China, Hong Kong and South Korea had the strongest representation, according to Huang.
The 33rd Computex, the second largest of its kind in the world, also attracted some 130,000 visitors in total.
Visitors from Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Thailand saw the largest increases, with 46.4 percent, 36.5 percent and 25.3 percent growths, respectively, he said.
In addition, the five-day show attracted 1,724 exhibitors and over 38,000 international buyers.
It is expected to have generated US$25 billion in business, according to the organizers. That's lower than the US$28 billion estimated for last year. Organizers said they lowered their forecast for 2013 because this year's global economic situation is not as strong as that of June last year.
This year, Computex featured Ultrabooks, tablets, cloud technology and services and touch applications. Hybrid products that combine the functions of a notebook and tablet or that of a tablet and smartphone featured prominently.
That's because PC makers are desperately trying to fight back from a second consecutive year of falling shipments. Sales of desktops and laptops have been declining since the launch of Apple's iPad and other tablets as many consumers like using the lighter and more convenient gadgets and have delayed the purchase of new notebooks.
Besides products, Computex also featured 162 forums and speeches, a 12.5 percent increase from a year earlier.
The limited space at the venue, however, remains a challenge, the organizers said, adding that the situation will not improve until 2015, when a new site is completed.
(By James Lee)