Most of you reading this will be aware by now of the China IFEC Summit taking place in Shanghai. This unique event has been organised by GIS Events, a company based in Shanghai that has excellent links into the Chinese aviation industry and is actually supported by the Chinese aviation authority.
I know first hand how tirelessly this company has worked to raise awareness of inflight entertainment and communications (IFEC) issues in China through this annual event.
Gethin’s China IFEC Review is being distributed at the Summit this week. For those of you keen to know more about China it will give an overview of this market and show that China beckons as a very real and dynamic marketplace.
This new edition, Gethin’s China IFEC Review is now available for download for a limited period on the GIS Events website at www.gisevents.com/2010/ifec/
This particular edition takes account of a new audience. Gethin’s China IFEC Review is targetted at China aviation and is in both Chinese Mandarin and English.
China really is the new frontier, with all the exhilarating challenges that represents. I have been privileged to learn of the laborious and often unpublicised efforts that some IFEC companies have made in setting up shop in China. There are no short cuts to making gains in the region.
In a way China is an acid test for the IFEC market. There are regulatory issues to deal with as well as the commercial ones, not to mention cultural and language challenges as in any region.
China’s IFEC market is still in its infancy but is rapidly building up pace. Thales and Panasonic already have strong footholds there. Thales is big in the burgeoning widebody market. Rockwell Collins has a strong share of the narrowbody market. Panasonic systems are also being installed and the company is boosting resources in China. Already, from contacting many IFEC companies about China, I can tell that some of them are not yet ready to enter such a large and new terrain. But I suggest it is the overwhelming stature and character of a new untapped market that makes it all the more tempting. It tests the calibre, patience and internal politics of a technology or service provider.
China means you have to learn new rules, new ways to do business.
No-one knows what fruits this new frontier will bring to bear. It’s worth bearing in mind that old paradigm – risk versus reward.
For further enquires related to Gethin’s China IFEC Review email: publishing@gethinsinflight.com
