30 January 2004

According to forecasts by leading industry associations, the ICT market is set to pick up again in 2004. So the forthcoming CeBIT trade show in spring 2004 (18 - 24 March) comes at exactly the right time to inject new confidence into the entire industry. Companies in this sector, particularly in Germany, have had a difficult time in recent months, and now their chance has come to roll up their sleeves at CeBIT and show the international competition what they are made of. Many market leaders from Germany and other countries have even chosen to book more space this year to accommodate an extended range of offerings. These include Alcatel, E-Plus, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Nokia, Panasonic, Samsung and Sanyo.

Deutsche Messe AG is expecting more than 6,000 exhibiting companies at CeBIT 2004, with combined stand bookings in excess of 300,000 m2. Some 2,700 registrations have been received from foreign companies. In fact, the forthcoming CeBIT boasts more exhibitors than all of its seven strongest international competitors all together. The number of foreign exhibitors alone far exceeds the total number of exhibitors at other ICT trade shows in Germany and other countries. All of which goes to prove, yet again, that CeBIT really is in a league of its own.

In terms of return on investment, too, CeBIT is the leading event of its kind. If the cost per square meter of stand rental space at CeBIT 2003 (EUR 180) is set against the number of visitors who have a significant say in their company's purchasing decisions (more than 302,000 out of a total of 556,248 visitors), this amounts to a cost of only 0.59 EUR for every 1,000 decision-makers reached! A comparison with competing ICT trade fairs in Germany reveals, for example, that exhibitors need to pay significantly more to reach their coveted decision-makers there, the rate being EUR 2 to EUR 4 per 1,000. At no other trade show can exhibiting firms hope to make more business contacts anywhere close to the low cost they can at CeBIT.

Global players to the fore
The so-called global players have a key role to play in kick-starting trading in information and telecommunications technology after the downturn, particularly in the growth markets of Asia and the expanding economies of the new EU member states in Eastern Europe. CeBIT is the perfect place to foster these international business links. After Germany, Taiwan leads the rankings with over 700 exhibiting firms, followed by the United Kingdom with around 170, Korea with 160 and the USA with some 150 firms. China und Hong Kong are each represented by 140 exhibitors. In order to underline the importance of CeBIT for the Asian-Pacific region, the opening speech will be delivered for the first time by a senior executive from the Far East. Kunitake Ando, President and Group COO of the Sony Corporation, Tokyo, who will share the platform with Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schroder at the Opening Ceremony on the evening of 17 March.

Over 250 companies from Eastern and Central Europe have booked stand space. In all, sixteen countries from this region will be exhibiting at the show.

CeBIT: The world's largest business consultancy center
This year's CeBIT puts more emphasis than ever before on the importance of networking, and its appeal is aimed across the board at big industry, small and medium-sized businesses, start-up companies and private users. No other comparable event brings together so many "networkers" under one roof or offers more opportunities for lucrative one-on-one contacts. With CeBIT exhibitors deploying some 70,000 experts to staff their stands in Hannover and provide the top-notch advice to their valued customers for seven full days, this show can effectively be regarded as the world's biggest business consultancy center.

Only those with the right contacts and the right knowledge can recognize a good deal when they see it and take the necessary decisions accordingly. This is why networking is also the main focus of CeBIT's unique supporting program of conferences and lecture presentations, which includes events such as the "ICT World Forum @ CeBIT 2004" and the "BITKOM ICT Luncheon", the "German-Taiwanese Exchange" and "Business meets Diplomats", as well as some 300 company presentations and numerous talks and lectures. Fostering international contacts is also the aim of the AL Invest function organized by the European Commission with the title "Business delegations from South America meet entrepreneurs from Europe's ICT industry".

Solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
The exhibitors at this year's CeBIT are increasingly targeting firms in the small and medium-sized business sector, offering broad-base and vertical-market ICT solutions, dedicated contact persons and special advice clinics. With its vast exhibit portfolio, CeBIT has everything a buyer could possibly need for any type of business process that can be managed with the aid of IT and telecommunications. The central port of call for visiting SMEs is the new SME Forum in Hall 6. Here potential buyers can be put in touch with exhibitors offering goods and services of special interest to SMEs, while a series of talks highlights "Hot Topics for SMEs" and the "Best Practice IT Yearbook 2004" catalogues ICT solutions for small and medium-sized businesses that have proved their worth in practice. In addition, Deutsche Messe AG has set up its own research and contact platform for the SME sector on its website at www.cebit.de.

Trends and themes at CeBIT 2004
In future we will buy and sell differently, work differently and live differently. In our working lives and in our private lives, the computer and the Internet will be central to just about everything we do. But the focus will shift in future from ICT products and technologies per se to the ways in which they are implemented and used in our lives. This development will also change the look of CeBIT. The first signs of this adjustment to a new kind of market can already be detected at this year's event. The flagship trade fair for the ICT industry will then become a guide to the brave new digital world, showing what is possible today - and what will become possible tomorrow.

The keynote themes at CeBIT 2004 are business intelligence, business processes, solutions for digital living, IT security, eGovernment and eBanking. Software is the most important engine of progress in all these areas. A large number of displays are devoted to solutions and advice clinics specifically aimed at SMEs. Other prominent themes include complete digital communication systems based on UMTS and WLAN. The continuing convergence of information technology and consumer electronics is another message that comes across very strongly.

In future we will buy differently and sell differently
In future we will buy differently and sell differently. No company, however small, will be able to manage without eBusiness. Even the delivery of individual solutions over the Internet will present no difficulties in the future. Exhibiting companies at CeBIT 2004 will be showing products and services for every aspect of eBusiness, including tools for designing one's own web portal, invoicing software and complete customer management systems. Many of these displays will form part of the two joint presentations "World of Solutions" and "Internet Park" in Hall 6.

Different patterns of purchasing and selling also call for a better quality of customer service and the integration of business processes. The latest buzzwords here are CRM (Customer Relationship Management), ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and SCM (Supply Chain Management), and many companies will be presenting appropriate solutions in Halls 3 to 6. The special display "PLM - Digital Engineering" in Hall 5 focuses on integrated business processes in manufacturing enterprises, with particular reference to software solutions for CAD, CAM, CAE, PDM (Product Data Management) and PLM (Product Lifecycle Management).

A major concern in modern business transactions is security. To meet the growing need for information in this area CeBIT 2004 offers two separate presentations dedicated solely to security issues: the "Software Security Area" in the center of Hall 6, featuring software products for IT security, and the "Center for Information Security (CefIS)" in Hall 17, which showcases products for IT security as well as technical systems and solutions for physical security. Also located in Hall 17 is the presentation "Card Technology, Automatic Data Capture", which highlights the latest developments in smart card technology and automatic data capture. New products for the financial services industry can be viewed at the special display "Banking Technology & Financial Services" in Hall 18, where another long-running CeBIT favorite - the special presentation "Bank-Finanz-Systeme" (Banking & Financial Systems) - is also located.

The prime source of information for dealers and retailers who want to learn about our present and future patterns of purchasing and retailing is "Planet Reseller" in Hall 25. This specialty retailing center is geared to the needs of the trade, and offers talks and lectures on technical trade issues, tips on selling and opportunities to make direct contact with distributors and manufacturers. The presentation is aimed at all dealers and retailers working in the IT, telecoms, consumer electronics, photographic and office equipment markets.

In future we will work differently
In future we will not only buy and sell differently, we will also work differently. One of the key factors here is the growth in mobility. Here the need is for concepts that simplify data access, improve hardware compatibility, and at the same time make data transfer more secure. At CeBIT 2004 exhibiting firms will be showing what options are already available, as well as what the future will bring, at their stands in the display section "Telecommunications, Wireless & Networks" in Halls 12 to 16, 25 to 27 and Pavilions 32 to 36. And anyone who is keen to embrace wireless working in the future should make a point of visiting the presentation "Wireless PAN/LAN" in Hall 13. Networking applications, technologies and complex solutions can be viewed at the "Network Information Center - NIC" stand in Hall 15. Among the themes highlighted here are service convergence, VoIP, network security, wireless technologies and high-speed networking.

IT equipment and the associated systems are also changing. The technology behind the scenes is already playing an essential role in our everyday lives. Intelligent technology will soon be taking autonomous control over processes, both in our working lives and in our private lives. How this actually works in practice is revealed by suppliers in their displays in Halls 1, 2 and 19 through 25.

The human factor remains a key competitive resource, and in future companies will be investing even more in efficient personnel management and time management. How businesses can make the most of their employees' potential is the theme of the presentations by participating exhibitors at the stand "Human Resources" in Hall 7. Providers and users of HR solutions will be discussing how these can help business in terms of "more added value" in the dedicated lecture forum "Human Resources Competence Center (HRCC)". Meanwhile anyone who wants to learn about the ICT market from the employee's perspective, or to find out what is currently available in terms of jobs and training opportunities, should head for the "CeBIT Job & Career Market" in Hall 12.

In future we will live differently
In future we will not only work differently, we will also live differently. For example, we will be able to complete many routine tasks in a virtual environment. Waiting in line in government offices will become a thing of the past, thanks to new systems and networking solutions. The special presentation "Public Sector Parc" in Hall 11 demonstrates how administrative procedures can be improved and transacted online in a world of virtual reality. These displays are aimed primarily at representatives of public-sector and government agencies at the national and regional level. Subtitled "European ICT Solutions for Business and Government", the "Public Sector Parc" presents IT solutions, services and projects relating to all aspects of eGovernment. Germany's Interior Minister, Otto Schily, has agreed to act as official patron to this event.

The rapid development of computer technology, and of the Internet in particular, has given us access to all kinds of new possibilities and advantages in our daily lives. Here the buzzword is "convergence". And it's not just the technologies themselves that are converging. So are the ways in which we use them. One result of this is the disappearance of any clear distinction between private and business applications. How can I get access to the latest information at a moment's notice when I'm traveling? Data services from mobile phone operators provide mobile office solutions, sports news and scores, mobile gaming and chat. Want to watch the news in your living room while surfing the Net? The home server gives you the combined functionality of a TV and PC. Need to deal with the business post on your notebook while storing the holiday snaps on the hard drive? No problem.

Visions for the future
Who can imagine a future without visions? New developments, unusual combinations and bold ideas are all high on the agenda at the special presentation "future parc" in Hall 11. Featured here are cutting-edge research and technology from the IT and telecoms industry, with applications and visions developed by participating exhibitors from many countries. The challenges that the future will bring are the subject of lecture presentations and discussions in the forum "future talk". The "future market" acts as a clearing house for technology transfer between international markets, and "IRC - future match" facilitates direct contacts between research establishments and interested customers.