The 9th Annual Global Digital City Network General Assembly & Conference was successfully held in Westchester County, New York, USA from October 26-28, 2008.  Over 100 public & private sector participants received valuable updates on knowledge economy development in each of the GDCN member cities present and exchanged information related to the event’s security theme.  A business showcase event was held in conjunction with the General Session on October 27, attracting a diverse group of organizations interested in expanding their international markets and identifying new opportunities for partnership.     

2008 GDCN Presentations Included:

• "When the Town Walls Start Cracking" by Dr. Norman Jacknis, Director, Cisco IBSG Public Sector  
• "The Global Enterprise of the Future - A Two-Step Discussion" by Dr. David Cohn, Director of Business Informatics at IBM’s   T. J. Watson Research Center
• "Towards Creating the Intelligent Community – The Global ICF Experience" Keynote Presentation by John Jung, Chairman, Intelligent Community Forum & CEO of Canada’s Technology Triangle
• Westchester County, USA Update: “What Makes An Intelligent Community?” Video & Presentation by Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano 
• Shenyang, China Update: “Briefing of Information Security Assurance of Shenyang, China” Presentation by Mr. Chen Xiaoping, Vice Secretary General of Shenyang Municipal Government
• Dundee, Scotland Update by Stan Ure, Business Development Manager, Dundee City Economic Development   
• Kakamigahara, Japan Update: "Kakamigahara’s Security Network & Industrial Vision" Presentation by Mr. Yasuhiro Sakai 
• Gold Coast City, Australia Update by Grayson Perry, Manager of Economic Development, Gold Coast City Council 
• Chuncheon City, Korea Update: "IT Security Solutions & Services in Korea Now & Beyond" Presentation by Mr. Kim Gi-Taek, Professor, Kangwon National University
• "Delivering Value in a Global Network" Presentation by Thomas Moebus and Rafail Portnoy, The Levin Graduate Institute of International Relations and Commerce
• "Beyond Basic Backup for Data Protection" by Bennett Klein, Sr. Principal Product Marketing Manager, Recovery Management BU, CA
• Virtual Trade Mission (VTM) Demo & Pilot Results Presented by Peter Watts, CEO, Group Intelligence 
• “Virtual Reality Techno Center” by Mori Tatsuya, Chief Officer, Gifu Prefecture, Japan
• “Trends and Challenges in Virtualization & Cloud Computing” by Dr. Chienting Lin, Seidenberg School of CSIS, Pace University

What is GDCN?
The Global Digital City Network (GDCN) is a multi-lateral city network initiated in 2000 by the City of Kakamigahara in Japan and the City of Chuncheon in Korea. The network increases the global competitiveness of its members and creates an effective environment for sharing information, resources, technology and research to generate new business opportunities in knowledge-based sectors. 

Westchester County was invited to join GDCN as the result of its relationship with Gold Coast City, Australia, through the US Channels initiative.  It is the first U.S. member of the network, which also includes: Dalian, Jilin, Shenyang and Yanji (China); Dubai (United Arab Emirates); Dundee (Scotland); Gold Coast City (Australia); Kakamigahara City, Inuyama City (Japan); Chuncheon City (Korea); and Nizhny Novgorod (Russia).  

As the network’s first U.S. member, Westchester is particularly honored to host such a prestigious event.  The County considers initiatives aimed at enhancing the flow of knowledge and skills to be a top priority and essential investment. This is why the County has provided strong support to the technology and biotechnology sectors here, has created a collaborative network of innovators and has stimulated a conducive environment for R&D laboratories.

Contact
If you have questions or would like additional infomation about Westchester's global business initiative, contact Scott Fernqvist by phone at +1 914 995-3078 or via e-mail at sef1@westchestergov.com.

Event sponsors and vendor participants included: