1996: the year when CeBit sets the course

The CeBit computer fair in Hannover is part of history. One of the reasons for the failure of the fair is that more than 20 years ago.

In the 80s and 90s, CeBit was the mecca of anyone interested in computers. And they were not just managers and computer scientists. Anyone looking for this technology and ready to travel to Hanover was often a computer fan, someone who was more than just a bad product. American sociologist Sherry Turkle has found the right word for what computers are really about: wish machines.

And so you saw among all the elegant costume bearers and the beautiful hostesses just a lot of boys with pimples on their faces, many of whom proudly wore at the time the tank tops and tracksuits, which quickly made Tocotronic a fashion accessory.

Messe AG was uncomfortable with this audience, even though it was numerous and faithful: these children accounted for a third of visitors. The management of the show wanted more and, in 1996, mbadively increased the price of entry. It was a reputable salon, as it bothered the only annoying Pullunderträger at the vendors' booths and asked knowledgeable questions.

CeBit has grown a few more years. The concept of the living room seemed to work. The IT sector was booming, there was the new market.

But with their decision, fair management had destroyed a tradition. CeBit has become a sterile place. Driving in Hanover was no longer fun. It was just a business appointment. And the faster the Internet has become, the more the IT industry has grown globally, the more the CeBit has become useless for managers. IT companies have now introduced their own products and presentations online.

Apple Keynotes, for example, are now big events. They are organized and distributed by Apple.

In the end, CeBit wanted to join the geeks of computer science, the crazy people who live digitally and who will shape the future. They did not come, the reboot failed. CeBit was just a boring trade show for everyone. If you had not dumped the tank top and the workout jackets in 1996, the Cebit might have retained its mecca character for computer geeks and could find a way to get the job done. ;to come up. But this tradition was arrogantly destroyed in 1996.