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Cebit does not exist anymore. In a way, it's funny. After all, this fair – or me – has almost all my life as a half-adult. When I was exactly in Hanover for the first time to admire the latest technology with astonishment, I honestly can not rebuild. It must have been in the early eighties.
At the time, I was still studying and Cebit, which was still at that time the "Office and Computer Center", was huge. She only found them in one of the many rooms of Hannover Messe. After all, it was the largest exhibition hall in the world, including the Guinness book entry.
We came for the C64 accessory
I did not have to pay for admission at the time. My father had to go there professionally, he always had free tickets, one of which still touched me. The trip from Hamburg to Hanover had some routine. No matter whether we were driving with our own car or a company bus, we would inevitably be stuck in a traffic jam. Entire streets have been closed in Hannover for visitors to the show, sometimes one way or the other. In road traffic, the radio was called morning "measure A as approach" and in the evening "measure R as round trip".
Everyone just wanted Cebit. As soon as possible, more than 800,000 visitors were brought to the exhibition grounds. A large crowd has formed around exhibitors, new personal computer accessories such as the C64 or later, the Atari ST and the Hawked Amiga.
At the booths of the bleachers and copying machines, businessmen were looking for favorable contracts. Of course, it was also a trade show. Being able to admire on the outside huge cranes, excavators and similar equipment, belonging to the Hanover Fair, contributed to the entertainment value of the event.
Universities sometimes had the most sensational exhibitions
The whole thing was accompanied by Märzwetter from Hannover, who was not reliable. For example, the snow disaster of 1987 is unforgettable. At that time, the exhibition grounds collapsed under a layer of snow a little over a meter thick.
In addition, the Cebit was still a show of novelty. So important, for example, that in 1989, the former European CEO of Apple, Michael Spindler, introduced a new Macintosh computer, the Mac IIcx. As a student, I had not heard of the press conference at the time, but I still admired the new computers of the show, organized since 1986 as a Separate event and growing bigger.
That's what made the show so special for me: you can always be sure to see something new, unexpected, fascinating. The walks in the corridors of the respective partner countries have also been entertaining. Just like Russia in 2007. A visit at least brief in the halls of research institutes and universities was just as essential. There, the secret sensations of Cebit were often hidden.
Flash memory for 8000 dollars
When, at the same time as a journalist, I finally had to do my own business for Cebit, no, in fact: authorized, good planning was essential not to miss a presentation on press days. The Cebit was important, here we introduced the revolutionary, for example, as Intel 2003, Centrino technology has shown that it has long been the basis of many laptops.
It has therefore lasted several years. Enthusiastic USB sticks 2007 in Hanover, it looks like today SSDs. at the time with a maximum capacity of 160 GB for a casual $ 8000. A few years later, we were already talking about Internet rental videos well before Amazon Prime Video, iTunes, Maxdome and Netflix. One of my most read lyrics in Cebit, however, is not about technology, but two young women who used to advertise waterproof cell phone cases in a spa.
Fortunately, this type of product advertising has remained an isolated case. The change from fair to fair was long in progress. For example, Vodafone used large empty spaces for a racing circuit in 2011. SAP has even set up a Ferris wheel. Of course, just to do business in the gondola at low speed.
That's what made me doubt the concept of the fair in 2011: the Cebit had a folk festival character, but there was nothing to see, at least nothing. exciting. A year later, my love for my first computer show finally ended and I wrote a kind of farewell letter.
But we always see each other twice. And when the fair changed its concept – they had made some trips to rival competitions – I felt almost obliged to look again, if the old love relived. But you really could not talk about meeting.
Of course, the summer venue was stylish, away from the CES in Las Vegas, the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the Ifa in Berlin, and also in the shelter of the weather . The attempt to make the old square of the fair fair with evening concerts and relaxation areas was nice, but in the end it was just old wine in new bottles. Exciting, same novelty, there was also on the new, the last Cebit, not to see.
In the end, I'm really happy: with their decision to remove Cebit, the show decides if I should go back next time. I thank her for that.
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