Special Featured Panels:

Synergy of the Two PC Giants: Lenovo-IBM Acquisition and the Future of PC Industry

Tsunami: The Wave, Its Impact and the Reconstructions

Morning Panel Session:

Wireless: Technology, Partnerships and Alliances

Doing Business in Southeast Asia

Biotechnology: The Asian Future

Afternoon Panel Session:

Venture Capital & Private Equity: Opportunities and Challenges

The GAME: Commercial, Technological, and Sociological Perspectives

Corporate Social Responsibility -- Asian Style

Wireless: Technology, Partnerships and Alliances

Ready or not, the proliferation of wireless applications is profoundly transforming our way of life and business. In the U.S., more content rich applications are being delivered to millions of subscribers through the growing 2.5G/3G mobile data services platform. Asia is already moving towards 4G deployment. Worldwide, RFID technologies are being implemented by businesses to improve the efficiency of their supply chains.

The future of wireless application deployment will require a coordinated effort between different parties. In this discussion, we’ll explore how technology and services providers can work together and what role partnerships and alliances will play in the wireless industry.

Topics covered will include:

• The market potential and current state of adoption for emerging wireless connectivity applications
• Some recent wireless application cases in Asia.
• Collaboration and standardization of wireless technologies
• Why Asia has been more successful with data applications compared to the U.S. and Europe
• How startups can partner successfully with an industry giant

Drawing on their extensive experience working both in the US and Asia, our panelists will compare and contrast the challenges between the two regions, while also addressing the many opportunities and rising trends in Asia.

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Doing Business in Southeast Asia

Recognizing that there is a great deal of potential in Southeast Asia is easy; actually developing a strategy for the region and conducting business is much more complex. This panel will provide an overview of the business environment in the region and discuss the many challenges. Topics to cover include:

· Industry opportunities
· Investment incentives
· Legal issues
· Labor regulations

Given the dynamic nature of this market and the wide variety of economic, social, and political trends affecting business, it is difficult to stay up to date on this region. This panel of experts will help attendees understand the current business landscape and assess the many opportunities available.

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“Biotechnology now has the potential to replace information technology as the engine of economic development for the Asia Pacific region. It is a region whose biotech engine is revving loudly, fueled by aggressive government funding, that likely will drive many nations over the next decade to surpass competitors in Europe and begin to challenge the U.S. for global dominance in production of biotechnology products.”
– Ernst &Young’s Global Biotech Report, 2004

“There are now an estimated 667 biotech firms in the Asia-Pacific region, with clusters developing in Australia, India, China, Singapore and Japan. Though immature compared with America, Asia's biotech industry is already starting to rival it in certain niches, such as drug screening and biotech-drug manufacturing.”
- The Economist, May 13, 2004

The biotechnology panel at the Asia Business Conference will feature experts with industry experience who will be able to share their knowledge about this industry from several vantage points and offer insights on its potential to shape the world economy over the next decade.

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Venture Capital & Private Equity: Opportunities and Challenges

With 33% of the world’s GDP and 50% of its population Asia is clearly a significant center of production and represents an enormous opportunity as a market. Not surprisingly, there has been considerable attention paid to investment opportunities within the region. However, success within the market will depend on investors who understand and can navigate the unique factors inherent within the Asian business environment. These unique factors include:

• Social Relationships
• The Changing Legal Environment
• Harvest timelines and Exit Strategies
• Infrastructure

The Venture Capital & Private Equity Panel members will be able to draw on their extensive experience working both in the US and Asia to compare and contrast the challenges between the two regions, while also addressing the many opportunities and arising trends in Asia.

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According to the latest PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Entertainment & Media Outlook Report 2004 - 2008, Asia is projected to be the fastest growth area in the entertainment & media industry (9.8% CAGR) and video games is projected to be the fastest growing segment (20.1% CAGR) within the industry.

This panel will explore the factors that are driving this growth, the critical differences in the development of gaming between Asia, Europe and North America, and the opportunities that will exist because of it. Specific areas of discussion will include:

• The proliferation of broadband and it effects on online gaming
• The growth of handheld wireless gaming
• Intellectual property (IP) protection
• Game development opportunities.

The Gaming Industry has already made an indelible mark on the entertainment industry and its role from in it from a social and economic perspective. In the future this will only continue to increase. Whether you are an experienced industry insider, active gamer, or just a curious outsider; this panel should provide some new perspective on this extremely dynamic and exciting industry.

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Corporate Social Responsibility -- Asian Style

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has increasingly and rightfully come to the forefront as a major issue for management teams to address. This panel will bring together business leaders who have faced the challenge of putting together CSR strategies for operations in Asia. Topics covered will include:

• Articulating why CSR is important
• How to communicate ethical standards across different cultures
• How to effectively implement a CSR strategy
• An overview of current best practices and industry leaders

Defining a CSR strategy in the United States has proved challenging enough for many companies, however to implement one in a society that has different customs, ethical norms, and accepted business practices is a far more difficult task. Attendees of this panel will have the opportunity to benefit from the kind of wisdom that only comes from the actual experiences that the Asia Business Conference CSR panelists have had.

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Synergy of the Two PC Giants: Lenovo-IBM Acquisition and the Future of PC Industry

The recently announced acquisition of IBM’s Personal Computing Division by China’s Lenovo Group has created a significant stir in the popular business press. This is not surprising given the implications of this transaction on the PC industry, but also as potential harbinger for the emergence of more Chinese companies on the global stage. This panel will examine this deal and its potential ramifications from several vantage points including:

• The specific impact for Lenovo and how it is likely to capitalize on its investment in China and around the globe
• How it changes the dynamics of the PC industry and what are the likely responses from the largest industry players
• An assessment on the financial impact of the acquisition

This panel will feature a combination of PC industry specific and financial professionals to address these issues. Attending this panel will definitely give the participant a fresh perspective on this “blockbuster” deal and its significance for Lenovo, China, and the PC industry at large.

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Tsunami: The Wave, Its Impact and the Reconstructions

The tsunami that hit South East Asia is an event of such a vast scope and tragically of such dire consequence that it confounds the mind. The purpose of this panel is to allow concerned individuals an opportunity to get an understanding of the short and long term issues pertaining to the tsunami disaster. These issues include:

• The current situation and progress of rescue efforts
• The social, political, and economic implications of the tsunami
• What resources are needed and what challenges will need to be overcome in order to ensure the proper long-term redevelopment of impacted areas

This panel will feature a combination of panelists from charitable, rescue, and development organizations who will shed some light on the many aspects of the recovery process in Asia. Attendees should leave this panel with a better sense of what needs to be done in general and specifically what concerned citizens in the Bay Area can do to help.

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