That's it: Cebit is dense | NDR.de – News – Lower Saxony

Stand: 28.11.2018 8:15 pm

The Cebit Hannover, once the largest computer fair in the world, is part of history. This has the organizer, the Deutsche Messe AG, decided. This is due to economic reasons and the decline in the number of visitors in recent years. The Cebit independent computer show has been in existence since 1986. Digitization is present in almost every trade fair in the sector, with the dominant theme being a show like Cebit, so that demand is falling more and more, Deutsche Messe AG said in a statement. communicated. Employees were informed today of the decision at a staff meeting.

Because: "Cebit was the victim of his own success"

28.11.2018 13h44 clock Author: Christoph Hamann

After CeBIT, Lower Saxony's Prime Minister, Weil, speaks of a turning point for the capital's trade fairs. But he is not worried about the location of the Hannover fair.

Topics Cebit in Hanover Messe

"In recent years, the German economy has repeatedly discussed the thematic overlap between Hannover Messe and Cebit," he said. "We are therefore going to transfer the topics that correspond to the content of the Hannover Fair," said Jochen Köckler, CEO of Deutsche Messe AG. Specifically, what he linked became Onuora Ogbukagu's spokesperson at NDR 1 Lower Saxony. "Exhibitors are retiring and watching: what have I been able to do for commercial transactions?" Our discussions show that exhibitors were not fully satisfied and did not want to use the 2019 Cebit. as an exponent. "

Cebit also bids farewell to the net

The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil (SPD), has spoken with the NDR television magazine Hello Niedersachsen of a break. "In its glory years, Cebit has been one of the largest trade shows in the world and had a considerable impact on Lower Saxony." But these times are already several years old. As the substance has become less, you have seen clearly in the past. "In the past, Cebit was the only exhibition dedicated to digitization, and today there is every show," Weil said. The development of trade fairs in Hanover with trade fairs in international format has been satisfactory.

Report to the media: the numbers are beautiful

While in 2001, 800,000 people were still present at CeBIT, it was only 120,000 this summer – a report from the According to the "Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung", these figures have also been ignored and represent only about 75,000. The Cebit had already tried to reinvent itself as the "first digital event" in Europe: the show was moved from spring to summer and is expected to attract more people with a festival character. The Ferris wheel, the attractions, the pop concerts and the discussions could not stop the decline in the number of visitors. Added to this is the growing competition from Mobile World Congress Mobile Communications Exhibition after moving from southern France to Barcelona (Spain).

Cebit's boss, Frese, retires at the end of the year

The end of the Cebit also has consequences in terms of staff: Oliver Frese, executive committee of the fair and head of the Cebit, will leave at the end of the year. He had asked the presidency of the supervisory board for the release of his duties. "We note with regret and respect the decision of Mr Frese," said Bernd Althusmann (CDU), Minister of Economic Affairs of Lower Saxony and Chairman of the Supervisory Board. For many years, Frese had done outstanding service to Deutsche Messe's event portfolio. With the new Cebit concept, Frese has shown "courage, innovation and a pioneering spirit".

"Hit the office for the location of the company"

The first reactions were Wednesday afternoon already from the economy of Lower Saxony. Volker Schmidt, managing director of Verband Niedersachsen Metall, spoke of a "success at the office" for the entire Lower Saxony economic site. The president of the Lower Saxony Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Helmut Streiff, called the decision a "bitter decision for the Lower Saxony technological site". "Cebit was synonymous with innovation through digital technologies and shaped the image of Niedersachsen as a global economic site," Streiff said. Even the industrial badociation Bitkom regretted the attitude of Cebit.