Monday's conference "Information Technology in the Service of Trade", which was held in Pavilion E under the auspices of the company IBM, presented new information on the changes which the production and distribution of consumer goods has undergone in Central and Eastern Europe. According to the organisers of the conference only those companies which have access to the right information, at the right place, and at the right time, have a chance of surviving in the new competitive environment. The application of information technology is, therefore, absolutely essential to the survival of these companies.

According to the experts the Czech market is copying world trends extremely quickly, and it is merely a matter of time as to when the maximum use of information technology is made in this country. Lubor Mat∞j of IBM presented a specific technological innovation - electronic trade or e-business. "Using the services of electronic trade does not have to be a revolutionary change for those interested in the Czech Republic. It is generally possibly using existing means," said Lubor Mat∞j. He also said that e-business can prove beneficial to the majority of companies in a number of different areas, e.g. increasing turnover, keeping hold of existing customers and obtaining new ones. The conference noted the popularisation of electronic trade in this country, and gave those taking part a simple guide to the application of e-business.