Countdown on an even better CEBIT

Many CEBIT exhibitors have already confirmed for Cebit 2019 and want to give the "completely new trade fair" time for more acceptance. However, some changes have to be made now - especially the channel wants a clear focus.

The premiere was a success, now the concept of a new digitisation fair has to be further developed and obvious weaknesses have to be eliminated. Pessimists, who had predicted the end of the computer exhibition, which started for the first time in 1986, replied Deutsche Messe board member Oliver Frese that it was "fundamentally a new trade fair" that was not comparable with the previous ones. "First things must go on," and it obviously will.

Many exhibitors are satisfied with the kick-off event and have already committed to CEBIT 2019. "The commitment is overwhelming. I have never experienced this before," says the manager. The fair had 120,000 visitors. "In future, we will be measured by the number of visitors to the new CEBIT", said Frese.

However, CEBIT was not radically new in all aspects. The organisers had two essential elements turned upside down: The hall layout - around the wooden roof of d!campus - was completely new and the open space offered plenty of space for summer festival atmosphere. A cloud hoist crane from IBM lifted 32 people at once at a height of around 60 meters, on Intel's "Beach" you could surf in the water basin and be filmed in the 4k video, the SAP giant wheel gave the guests technological impulses . A large music stage and numerous gastronomy stands attracted many young visitors in particular.

Perhaps CEBIT had emphasized this festival character too much in the run-up, spoke too little of technology solutions, which also existed in the halls. But the conference programme was very well received. On many stages, some 30,000 people followed controversial discussions about the influence of data-centric technology on business, politics and society. The live recordings were gratefully received on the net: 400,000 watched the streamings of the conferences. Half a million users of the social media followed the posts around CEBIT.

The ICT-Channel probably had to cope with the most radical change at CEBIT. There was no longer a closed dealers area; instead, distributors and vendors were grouped around the era "Channel & Distribution" in exhibition hall 13. Some exhibitors like LG, MRM and Pilot distributor in were very satisfied with the new conception. But thers were dissapointed. Andreas Bortoli of ERP specialist Neumeier is missing the channel focus with a view to the visitors. The CEBIT should talk about improvements with exhibitors at an early stage. CEBIT-boss Frese calls the new concept "CEBIT 1.0". But many channel companies are already further.