Lack of interest in CeBIT could be more relevant than you expect

It was disappointing to see the results of our most recent CRN Online poll as it discovered most of the reseller community does not plan to attend CeBIT Australia. The poll found that a massive 63 percent of our online readers do not plan to go along to the Sydney event. This surprised me slightly as the name CeBIT has been one that has always involved locked-in attendance from my time as a European channel journalist and then UK channel journalist at CRN UK.

I’m sure you’re all aware that CeBIT is no start-up event finding its feet. For any of you who have attended the main event in Germany, you can testify the Australian version is just the baby subsidiary of one mother of a show in Hannover. The main CeBIT show is the world’s largest trade fair showcasing digital IT and telecommunications solutions for home and work environments. More than 6100 exhibitors from around 70 countries and some 480,000 visitors from all over the world attended CeBIT in Germany last year.

There’s also a channel-specific aspect to the European version. The “Planet Reseller” section provides a dedicated platform for distributors, manufacturers, systems integrators, industry associations and retailing co-operatives – under the global umbrella of CeBIT Hannover. In 2007 – in its fifth year of existence – Planet Reseller chalked up record results: more than 150 exhibitors presented their products and solutions to the distributive trades. A further highlight in 2008 was the glass TV studio, where at hourly intervals CRN-TV, the online version of CRN UK, broadcast interviews and discussions with leading personalities in the ICT industry.

I appreciate CeBIT Australia is not of the same magnitude as the German show at the moment, but expect CeBIT’s Australian baby to witness a growth spurt in coming years. This year we’re making similar moves to our friends at CRN UK and making CeBIT more channel focused ourselves. On day three we will be hosting a channel-focused day for resellers.

CeBIT Australia is obviously only hosted in Sydney, but for those non-Sydneysiders it’s an opportunity for them to visit and maybe tie in other meetings. Much like Computex in Taiwan achieves to a certain extent, CeBIT Australia could become a fixed date for catching up with Sydney contacts.

I understand the current lack of enthusiasm from the channel community towards CeBIT as there seems to be much on offer for resellers. However this will change in coming years and following on from what works in Germany. In years to come the Sydney show could become a highly important date, not just for consumers and vendors, but for the channel community, too.