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Views on CeBit

As most of you know, CeBIT just ended and I wanted to quickly share my views of the show.

While the show had got off to a good start with about 200k people attending (despite heavy snow and cold temperatures, -7 when I was there) it seems that numbers were down a bit for the remaining few days. Also, companies such as Cisco were not in attendance. This year new displays like RFID and convergence exhibited, up from 30 last year. As usual, there were an array of bizarre booths such as battery manufacturers and industrial sized laminators. Interestingly, while CeBIT has always been seen as a European/German event, US visitors were up for the first time since 9/11, by 38%.

Text 100 clients, including Philips, Novell and Avaya and Fujitsu among others were also in attendance and had strong presence at the show.

While CeBIT remains a b2b show, consumer products were in abundance and the organisers also attempted to attach a gaming contest and Digital Living display - although it has to be said with no great success. The major hot trends seemed to be monitors and TVs with the likes of Samsung and Panasonic making claims to have the largest screens. Microsoft also made big noises with its new Origami product (name to be changed apparently) and there were more iPod attachments and look-a-likes than you could shake a nano at.

My personal favourite was the robot luggage which can trail after you using a wireless signal or voice command.

Pete Jacob

Going to CeBIT?

Then you might be interested in this perspective from our team in Munich - interestingly the attendance for general technology trade shows hasn't fallen off outside of the U.S. and CeBIT continues to be an important, must-attend show for those wanting to reach broad audiences of buyers and media.  The article contains some tips on how to maximize attendance at the show as well, that are relevant to all shows - not just CeBIT.

Cathy

CES Bound and....

it occurs to me how much the show has transformed over the years from its earlier, device-focused roots. Where a few years ago it appeared that CES had swallowed COMDEX, if the keynote presenters are any indication, (Google, Yahoo! and Microsoft) former COMDEX cornerstones have actually swallowed CES.

Why so? A couple reasons may be that emerging technologies—a focus on content, rather than devices—and the accompanying narrowing of the gap between gadgets and content providers, naturally dictate a shift in the focus of major events showcasing those technologies. Take the VHS vs. Hollywood drama, or the RIAA’s attack on Napster and other p2p file sharing services, and you’ll get the picture. We’re seeing more companies partnering to bridge other divides and CES has become one forum that brings them together to forge new alliances. Will CES provide a similar service by bringing BluRay and HD DVD together to deliver a unified format? For the consumer’s sake, we hope so!

What does all this mean for communicators? At large shows like CES there’s a high potential for misinformation to be parsed out, leading to confusion at the editorial and retail levels and eventually making its way – unfortunately – to consumers. The term DTV is being used interchangeably with HDTV by some, but they are not the same. Same too for flat screen TV and flat panel TV. May seem minor unless you’ve just walked out of Best Buy with the wrong product! For the benefit of all concerned, communicators have a responsibility to tell clear and credible stories at CES that build trust among eventual end users of their products—consumers.

Christian

Going to Interop??

We'll be at Interop in New York next week, so if you're attending and would like to connect contact Jerry Griffin at 212 331 8437. Hope to see you there!

Cathy