The Canberra Times 

By Kanchan Dutt

Business Reporter

PROSPECTS: TASKey managing director Neil Miller is ready to seize opportunities presented by international and domestic visitors to the Focus on Business expo. Picture: GARY SCHAFER  

One of Canberra’s leading software companies is ready to go on the attack for new trade at this year’s Focus on Business.

TASKey managing director Neil Miller said with visitors from the domestic and international defence sectors at the expo, there was a good opportunity to expose the Phillip-based company’s services to an important audience.

Focus on Business runs from September 13-15 at the Hyatt Hotel and will showcase the ACT’s defence, IT, research and farmers’ market sectors.

While TASKey’s workflow management software can be used across many fields, its biggest market has been in defence and it is in this area that the company will feature.

‘‘There are multiple benefits to being part of Focus on Business, one of which is the exposure, another is the opportunity to find out what other businesses in the region are doing and also to establish networks,’’ Dr Miller said.

‘‘We view Focus on Business as a further opportunity to expose our collaboration software to key defence and security personnel and demonstrate our ability to resolve what would otherwise be unsolvable management issues.’’

TASKey was involved in the last Focus, in 2004, and had its share of some of the $35 million in business it generated for companies in the region.

Dr Miller said the event helped provide a sound platform on which deals were later struck and he hoped it would be the same this year.

‘‘These things tend not to be flashes of lightning but lead to a series of meetings at which deals are made,’’ he said.

Publicity at the event could help his company and other small and mediumsized firms crack the traditionally difficult market of Federal Government work.

Such contracts, especially in the defence field, have tended to be put into the perceived safer hands of the big companies and most of these have been in the US.

But this is slowly changing with the Commonwealth increasingly opening its eyes to the many specialists in Canberra and further afield able to perform the job.

And beyond the boundaries of the ACT, Dr Miller is looking forward to picking up tips from the many overseas visitors making their way to Focus on Business.

Joining their senior Australian counterparts will be government and industry leaders from countries such as Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Oman, Singapore, Poland, Thailand, Britain and the United States.

Among those speaking are the Hong Kong commissioner for innovation and technology, Anthony Wong, and the director of the US Government’s Defence manpower data centre, RobertBrandewie.

‘‘Some of the international speakers will definitely be worth listening to,’’ Dr Miller said. ‘‘It will give people a broader perspective on what’s going on, sometimes you can risk becoming too narrow in your focus.’’