Blogpost updated January 2018
Everybody knows the computer fair CeBIT in Hannover. But hardly anyone knows what CeBIT stands for. It is an acronym, i.e. an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of several words. CeBIT stands for Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation (Centre for Office Automation, Information Technology and Telecommunications), originally a centre for office and information technology.
Almost as unknown is the fact that CeBIT was once part of the Hannover Messe. It has been independent since 1986. The very first year of the fair was a success. More than 2,000 exhibitors presented their products and more than 330,000 visitors came to this fair.
However, the first independent CeBIT in 1986 was clouded by the death of the entrepreneur Heinz Nixdorf. He died of a heart attack at the computer trade fair.
In the course of time, the number of exhibitors and visitors has fluctuated greatly. In 2001, more than 830,000 visitors came to the fair. However, around a third of these were private individuals who only wanted to take a look at the digital trends.
The same applies to the number of exhibitors. In 1999 there were 7,412 exhibitors at the fair. Overall, the numbers of visitors and exhibitors have been declining for years. This is partly due to the fact that since 2014 CeBIT has only been aimed at trade visitors and that the trade fair takes place from Monday to Friday and no longer from Tuesday to Saturday as before. Ticket prices have also risen significantly.
CeBIT in Facts
- Industry sector: Information Technology
- First fair: 1986 (before part of the Hannover Fair)
- Frequency: Yearly
- Next date: 11 – 15 June 2018
- Visitors: 200 000
- Exhibitors: 3 300
- Exhibition area: 256 000 qm
- Location: Deutsche Messe AG, Hanover
In addition to the normal trade fair, there has also been a conference programme since 1992. Since 2008 CeBIT has named these parallel events Global Conferences. This has significantly increased the added value for visitors, because it is always a question of future developments in the IT world. Top speakers such as Edward Snowden and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak have their say here.
The trade fair is constantly developing the conference programme. In 2015, Rock-the-Blog was added as an event for bloggers and companies to bring both worlds a little closer. Rock-the-Blog will take place for the third time in 2017. And in 2018 the organizers will introduce the Digital Street Festival, which is expected with a lot of approval.
CeBIT on the Social Web
Like no other trade fair, CeBIT is of course active in the social networks. And that, all year round. The latest trends, industry news and exhibitor information are shared and commented on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIN and XING. Anyone from the industry is well advised to keep an eye on these accounts.
An exhibition stand for CeBIT
Exhibitors who go to this IT trade fair are always particularly challenged. In such a fast-moving and innovative industry, the expectations of an exhibition stand are very high. With a standard of 08/15, it will be difficult to get visitors to the stand.
Especially in the IT industry WUM Design has a lot of experience. For example, we designed and realized the exhibition stands for Adobe, Shazam and Medialink. And you can take a look at numerous other exhibition stands in our references. If you would like a creative trade fair stand, please contact us.
Picture: © Aron Brand – fotolia.com
