Catalyst industry bounces back
Around 700,000 visitors attend eight-day show 
Basis for economic turnaround created
Transition to top management event
Catalyst industry bounces back Around 700,000 visitors attend eight-day show Basis for economic turnaround created Transition to top management event Things were never as tense as in the lead-up to this years CeBIT show. One year after last years record-breaking show held at the zenith of the IT boom the CeBIT sector approached its premier event with some trepidation. Then, as the eight-day show progressed, mere hope gave way to a mood of solid optimism. With around 700,000 visitors (compared with 849,252 last year) and 7,962 exhibitors (8,093) on total net floor space of 424,173 square meters (431,875), CeBIT 2002 silenced the skeptics. The catalyst industry is now back on its feet the economic recovery can begin.
Once again this year, CeBIT visitor profiles were excellent, with the distinctive international character of the show developing even further. Some 24.2 percent (22.9 percent) of all professional visitors in 2002 came from abroad. The growing interest from Eastern Europe was particularly gratifying, with around 12.3 percent (10.4 percent) of all foreign guests hailing from this region. Somewhat surprisingly and significantly the number of trade visitors from America actually climbed from 8,900 last year to a level of 9,400.
A closer look at CeBIT visitor profiles confirms the perception voiced by many exhibitors that corporate customers are sending more senior representatives than ever before to scout for new products. The proportion of attendees holding top managerial positions has risen from 18.1 to 20.9 percent, and it seems most companies sent far fewer representatives to CeBIT 2002 than in the past. This cost-cutting resulted in fewer employees being sent from the lower management ranks of IT and telecommunications teams.
The quality-over-quantity trend was also reflected in the increased decision-making authority of attendees at CeBIT 2002: Some 32.3 percent (29.4 percent) of business professionals attending this years show indicated they had a decisive or advisory influence on corporate purchasing decisions.
The singular importance of CeBIT in the global ICT sector is demonstrated by the fact that 51.3 percent (50.9 percent) of technology professionals choose not to attend any other ICT trade fair.
Over 70 percent of visiting professionals at CeBIT 2002 also firmly asserted their intention to come back again for next years show.
BITKOM echoes the general mood of optimism
BITKOM, the German ICT association, echoed the general mood of optimism at CeBIT 2002. This years tradeshow certainly met the expectations of exhibitors and once again injected new momentum into the industry. BITKOM member firms described the high-quality contacts made at their stands as the standout feature of CeBIT 2002. While there were fewer visitors overall, BITKOM members felt they had made contact with the right people this year executives with the power to make investment decisions on behalf of their firms. Exhibitors were also optimistic about the potential for post-show business, expressed in BITKOMs assessment that there were clear signs that many firms are now willing to invest in new products. BITKOM also praised the reorganization of display categories at CeBIT 2002, judging that the revised layout made it easier for visitors to gain an overview of the shows overall offerings.
Positive feedback from international exhibitors
The 3,043 foreign firms (2001: 3,059) exhibiting at this years show consolidated CeBITs reputation as a decidedly international event. Of the European nations represented at the fair, Great Britain once again headed the field, despite a drop in the number of participating firms (281 compared with 339 in 2001). The Netherlands followed with 114 (up from 97) and Sweden with 104 (111) exhibiting firms. European exhibitors also commented favorably on the high proportion of international decision-makers visiting their stands.
The Asia/Pacific region managed to increase its already strong presence at CeBIT. While 858 companies used a net display area of 22,351 m² in 2001, this year there were 1,047 firms from the region, taking up 26,282 m² of exhibition space. Taiwan provided the biggest contingent, with a record number of 594 (527) participating firms. They were delighted with the good volume of business negotiated and, riding high on the success of this years show, are already predicting a strong Taiwanese presence at CeBIT 2003. South Korea provided the second highest number of exhibitors from the Asian region, with 162 firms (compared to just 97 in 2001). Korean companies were primarily interested in using CeBIT to gain a foothold in the European market.
Positive feedback from international exhibitors The 3,043 foreign firms (2001: 3,059) exhibiting at this years show consolidated CeBITs reputation as a decidedly international event. Of the European nations represented at the fair, Great Britain once again headed the field, despite a drop in the number of participating firms (281 compared with 339 in 2001). The Netherlands followed with 114 (up from 97) and Sweden with 104 (111) exhibiting firms. European exhibitors also commented favorably on the high proportion of international decision-makers visiting their stands.
The Asia/Pacific region managed to increase its already strong presence at CeBIT. While 858 companies used a net display area of 22,351 m² in 2001, this year there were 1,047 firms from the region, taking up 26,282 m² of exhibition space. Taiwan provided the biggest contingent, with a record number of 594 (527) participating firms. They were delighted with the good volume of business negotiated and, riding high on the success of this years show, are already predicting a strong Taiwanese presence at CeBIT 2003. South Korea provided the second highest number of exhibitors from the Asian region, with 162 firms (compared to just 97 in 2001). Korean companies were primarily interested in using CeBIT to gain a foothold in the European market.
Special displays and conferences
Numerous special displays and joint ventures at CeBIT 2002 proved popular with visitors. These collaborative showcases gave fairgoers a good lowdown on some of the key issues in todays ICT world. Feature displays like the Center for Information Security (CefIS), enac europe and the DSL and Fibre Channel exchange stands drew much larger crowds than last year.
Around 25,000 professionals from all over the world made the most of the unique CeBIT opportunity to take a crash course in all the latest trends and developments, by attending conferences, forums and corporate presentations at the worlds largest ICT fair. Sessions dealing with IT security and e-business proved particularly popular among visiting IT professionals.
Trends and topics
Telecommunications & Networks
This years CeBIT strongly reflected the convergence of voice and data services in the telecom sector. The show also marked the starting shot for the long-term project of creating a German UMTS network (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System). Many telcos used their appearance at CeBIT 2002 to demonstrate the myriad benefits and value-added features of a number of new data services. GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) data transmission already supported on a large scale promises to be the initial cornerstone of the brave new telecommunications world. Especially the i-mode data service is pointing the way to making formerly PC-bound media offerings available to mobile users anytime, anywhere. The growing need for enhanced transmission capacity and quality will power the transition to third-generation communications services.
End device manufacturers are wooing users with increased functionality and smaller sizes. The latest devices not only offer telephony, audio player functions and radio reception, but also increasingly boast cameras and GPS navigation functions (Global Positioning System). The platform-independent programming language Java is now also available for downloadable applets and PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) functions. These functions include address, task and schedule management, which can be synchronized wirelessly with your workplace computer via GPRS or Bluetooth data transmission. These new devices have already transformed themselves into new, multimedia offices that fit neatly into your vest pocket.
In the last two years, network operators have upgraded their core networks to the latest optical transmission technology and now boast sufficient reserves to face the coming wave of multimedia challenges. With regard to Internet access, many CeBIT 2002 exhibitors believe there will be a massive expansion of DSL and broadband cable systems reaching the end customer over the next year and a half. Not until the end of 2003 will the next generation of backbone switching and transmission technologies be introduced. The trend towards pure IP networks (Internet Protocol) continues unabated. The growth of existing SDH network structures (Synchronous Digital Hierarchy) will decelerate, as increased volumes of voice and data traffic travel over IP and high-performance DWDM networks (Dense Wavelength Division Multiplexing).
In a related development, end devices are increasingly supporting wireless transmission, although this is based on a number of different standards. Despite its relatively slow transmission rate of 11 MBit/s, the W-LAN IEEE 802.11b standard is becoming ever more popular at work and home, as well as in public facilities like airports, hotels and trade fairs, giving wirelessly-enabled laptop users convenient Internet access in a growing number of locations. Thanks to Bluetooth, W-LAN, GPRS and UMTS, wireless devices are beginning to displace the classic desktop workstation.
Information Technology Flat-panel monitors continue to gain in popularity, offering larger screen diagonals and higher resolutions, while taking up less space. This is feeding the trend towards using several monitors to display various applications simultaneously on the same workstation. Flat-panel screens with up to 60-inch diagonals have been developed for special applications.
The traditional PC sector is profiting from the development of high-speed chipsets, allowing for faster memory access. On the audio front, PCs are becoming veritable 3-dimensional sound wonders, offering stereoscopic sound in Dolby Surround quality. Thanks to new multiprocessor architectures, servers have become considerably more powerful. Recordable DVDs are poised to become the mass storage medium of the future, equipped to meet the challenge of memory-intensive audio and video applications.
Tablet PCs and Web pads give the user the option of writing with a stylus, and built-in wireless modems ensure continuous Internet access. Whether equipped with a Bluetooth, Wireless-LAN, GPRS or GSM module, PDAs and other mobile devices have evolved into truly mobile Internet terminals in some cases, even cell phones. Wireless-LAN technology has also helped make printers location-independent. Digital cameras continue to get smaller, and several of them now also offer MP3 playback and digital sound recording.
Software, Internet Solutions & Services In the area of professional software, the trend is towards increasingly fine-tuned holistic solutions. The objective of these is to map complete business processes into uniform e-commerce and m-commerce solutions. This technology is based on XML (Extensible Markup Language) and Java, which support the transfer of data and information from centralized data stores to terminal devices via the Internet (www), cell phone (SMS) or television (teletext). Major strides are especially evident in the area of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) und SRM (Supply Relationship Management). The automation of interactive processes between user and application is also becoming more significant. Software is now available which can automatically create user profiles and dynamically react to individual users needs.
IT Engineering Solutions
Computer-aided systems increasingly integrate the entire process chain, from product development to manufacturing and after-sales support. The focus is on complete business processes based on digital data a development which has begun to narrow the gap between the various stages of design, engineering, simulation, process planning and factory planning. Product Lifecycle Management ensures that the entire product lifecycle is taken into account. Providers of IT engineering solutions are concentrating primarily on integrating these modules and improving detail functions and usability. An additional key development involves the cross-enterprise exchange of data throughout the supply chain.
Automatic Data Capture, Vision Systems & Voice Processing A growing number of applications support mobile or Internet-based transmission of operational (factory) data for integrated use by other applications. The focus in image processing is on higher processing speeds and secure monitoring of complex assemblies. Streamlined programming is a key factor.
Voice-recognition systems are becoming increasingly flexible and reliable. Depending on the application, they are functional after a short training period or even speaker-independent. Apart from traditional applications like information services and dictating machines, voice operation is becoming more prevalent for cell phones, PDAs and machines.
Banking Technology & Financial Services Multichannel banking a term describing multiple access opportunities for banking customers was one of the key buzzwords at this years CeBIT, along with secure payment transactions via the Internet and by mobile phone. The banking sector is gearing up to support Java-capable cell phones.
New chip generations and standards add up to enhanced functionality and security for using credit cards and debit cards for e-commerce. The growing popularity of electronic payment makes secure customer authentication more important than ever. This is particularly crucial for payment transactions via the Internet. To date, however, no single standard has gained the acceptance of all market participants.
IT Security & Card Technology Smart cards can digitally sign electronic documents, e-mails and payment transactions. In addition, they are used for access control and as customer or bonus cards. An increasing number of functions are built onto these cards. The progressive digitalization of public administration procedures (e-government) also requires digital signatures. Data encryption and Internet security are prerequisites for concluding contracts electronically.
Biometric processes, such as face and fingerprint recognition, are available as independent or combined security solutions including smart cards. They are used to authenticate card or ID holders as well as for targeted searches for individuals. Apart from access control, application areas include the financial sector and immigration and airport security.
future parc
The innovations market for technology transfer, or future parc, was another major attraction this year. Exhibitors were overwhelmed by the outstanding success of this venture, which far exceeded their expectations. Representatives from the business and research communities were not the only ones drawn to Hall 11 many prominent politicians also showed their support for the future parc initiative. German Federal Minister of Education and Research Edelgard Bulmahn opened the event, and Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder also visited this CeBIT innovations greenhouse.
His Royal Highness Prince Andrew, Duke of York, officially opened the British Day staged on the second-to-last day of the show.
The 400 universities, research institutes, federal ministries, spin-off and startup companies exhibiting at future parc were full of praise for the idea of bringing together research experts, private enterprise, capital investment and government representatives all under one roof. The discussion forum, future talk aroused keen interest among fairgoers, with some of the sessions literally bursting at the seams. The inaugural future market also got off to a flying start, with start-up and spin-off companies successfully presenting their creative solutions for the ICT sector and offering their services as partners. Participating exhibitors found the future market served as an ideal facilitation forum for research and development teams, startups, established companies, service providers and investors. The instant success of the newly created future parc served to underline the premier importance of CeBIT, especially for small and midsize firms, which make up around 90 percent of all exhibitors at the show.
Next years CeBIT show will be staged from Wednesday through Wednesday, 12 to 19 March 2003.
Further information for the press is available from: Gabriele Dörries
Tel.: ++ 49 511/89-3 10 14
Fax: ++ 49 511/89-3 26 31
E-Mail: [email protected]
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