CeBIT’09 ends with 4,300 participants

The 2009 edition of CeBIT which held in Hannover, Germany came to a close weekend with estimated 4,300 participants.

The managing board member of the organizers, Deutsche Messe, Ernst Raue, said that the four-day Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) exhibition and conference, attracted over 4,300 firms from 69 countries globally.

“A majority of the 4,300 companies from 69 countries drew fresh optimism from being here at CeBIT,” Raue was quoted as saying in a press statement made available to ITRealms Online.

According to Raue, a huge number of exhibitors and visitors, weekend, began to depart Hannover with a renewed sense of buoyancy as well as bulging order books and a solid foundation for new business, stressing that the show lived up to their expectations.

Throwing more light, the organizers said that this year’s participants represented a 20 per cent of the previous year’s figure.

However, there was a marked increase in the trade visitor ratio, meaning that their expectations were often exceeded.

“Companies who came well-prepared reported a jump in significant business leads of more than 20 per cent,” Raue said, noting that in terms of all the significant parameters, CeBIT 2009 attained the same high level as last year’s event.

“We are delighted with the run of the show. This CeBIT has been a good investment for exhibitors and visitors alike, delivering real benefits to everyone,” Raue declared.

While the percentage of visitors from abroad remained steady at 20 per cent, a decrease in attendance from Asia was offset by increased attendance from the Americas and the Middle East.

The opening address by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, representing this year’s partner state, set the right tone to kick off the event.

Raue asserted that Gov. Schwarzenegger had expressed optimistic and determination on the attitude of the organisers to strengthen the ICT industry’s resolve by capitalizing on all the available opportunities.

“This spirit of new momentum was felt tangibly by everybody at the show,” he said.
Pointing out that CeBIT has played growing role as a key communication forum for the international ICT sector and its user industries was reinforced at this year’s event.

“Thanks to the organizers’ collaboration with the “CIO colloquium” - an independent network of Chief Information Officers from leading German enterprises - CeBIT was able to create an ideal match between supply and demand,” Raue further said.

The strong level of visitor interest in the CeBIT Global Conferences highlighted the vital importance of meeting face-to-face to debate the issues and exchange ideas, particularly in times of crisis.

“This year’s list of speakers read like a ‘Who’s Who’ of the international ICT industry,” said Raue, outlining that CeBIT’s significance as an economic policy platform was also emphasized by the presence of over 100 political delegations from around the world.

The spotlight this year was on higher efficiency and lower costs in all areas of business IT.

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