Dutchpot Interactive, run by Ingrid Riley, is launching a quarterly networking event for Internet and mobile entrepreneurs and others interested in information communication technologies, to be called 'Kingston Beta'.

"The online community has definitely grown since the dot.com boom and now seemed like the right time to do it," said Riley who is also Dutchpot's business development director. People will be able to talk shop but also to hear about the business models here in the Caribbean."

Riley is targeting entrepreneurs, web developers and designers, programmers, mobile marketers, bloggers, ICT consultants, investors, journalists and government departments.

"The Caribbean is mirroring what's happening globally with mobile and Internet, and we are having a lot of 'text-to-win' competitions and a lot of companies want to know how to use a messaging platform for customer services," she said.

The first session set for February 28 in Kingston will have as speakers Sandor Panton of Top5 Network, Jamaica; Rodney Browne of eCaribbean Limited, Eastern Caribbean; and Mark Allan of One Studio, South East Asia, said Riley.

ross.sheil@gleanerjm.com