4,300 Exhibitors at Forthcoming CeBIT

"CeBIT 2009 is sending a signal to buck the international crisis mentality,"
declared Ernst Raue, Managing Board Member at Deutsche Messe. 4,300
companies from 69 nations are going to be represented at the event,
compared with 5,845 in 2008, he said. "Given the depth of the world
economic crisis, this number represents a success. In view of the
overall business environment, we are extremely satisfied. 4,300
enterprises will demonstrate they are in solid shape and want to put
the recession behind them quickly,’ he continued. ‘At CeBIT 2009 the
goal is – now more than ever – to develop new business and act boldly
and with confidence vis-à-vis the future."

Given the latest economic data, Raue accorded CeBIT a special
significance. He pointed to the Japanese economy, which he said was
currently shrinking at a double-digit rate, with the gross domestic
product (GDP) down 12.7 percent year-on-year. He continued that the
U.S. economy had reached an existential low, with the GDP there down by
almost four percent. And for Germany, the German Institute for Economic
Research DIW was predicting negative growth of 4.5 percent in the first
quarter year-on-year, he reported.

The world economic crisis is leading to cutthroat competition which has also left its mark on the ICT industry, declared Raue: "Companies
that have gone under cannot exhibit at CeBIT. Companies which have
slashed their marketing budgets to zero will not be represented in
Hannover this year. But companies which are eager to do new business
are choosing CeBIT as a platform for business, for growth and for the
future," affirmed Raue.

That is why, he reported, some 300 companies had rejoined the ranks of
CeBIT exhibitors for the first time in several years, including Nokia
Siemens Networks and eCommerce specialist Intershop. Another 200
companies were appearing at CeBIT for the first time ever, he reported,
including in the new Webciety display sector. "These exhibitors are among the companies which are presenting solutions to cut costs, improve quality and enhance flexibility," explained Raue.

The key focus at this year’s event will be on energy-efficient IT
applications – summed up under the term ‘green IT’ – as well as on the
continued development of the Internet, as epitomized by the buzzword
‘Webciety’. CeBIT 2009 will also feature all aspects of business IT
solutions, including risk management and business intelligence
applications.

Compared with last year’s event, the following sectors have grown
substantially: Green IT, FutureParc, eLearning, TeleHealth and Public
Sector Parc – a special display showcasing solutions for public
administration applications. The number of exhibitors in the IT
hardware subcontracting sector on the other hand is off sharply,
particularly the number of small-sized enterprises from China, Taiwan
and Hong Kong.

Raue added that the worldwide significance of CeBIT was further
underscored by the high-caliber attendance at the opening ceremony as
well as the CeBIT Global Conferences. CeBIT will be opened by German
Chancellor Angela Merkel. "In
addition we look forward to welcoming Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
from our Partner State California as well as the Chairman of the Board
of Intel, Craig Barrett, plus BITKOM President August Wilhelm Scheer
and Lord Mayor of Hannover Stefan Weil," said Raue.

SAP’s CEO Leo Apotheker, Alcatel Lucent CEO Ben Verwaayen, Marco
Börries of Yahoo and LinkedIn President Reid Hoffman are among the
international IT elite who have confirmed their participation as
speakers at the CeBIT Global Conferences.

"A high-class congress program of this kind indicates two
things: One, that the ICT sector is eager to free itself from the
crisis’s embrace. And two, that CeBIT possesses a worldwide reputation
as the leading platform for the ICT industry," commented Raue. "We
are going to consistently promote the professionalization of our event.
With the support of the entire industry, we plan to further sharpen the
profile of CeBIT as an international business platform, gearing the
event even more closely to the needs of our professional attendees.
This will include a beefing up of our ‘business days’ from Tuesday to
Friday from the year 2010 onward. Saturday will be dedicated to the
self-employed, the skilled trades and SMEs as well as to high-tech
enthusiasts. In response to exhibitor demand, CeBIT will no longer take
place on a Sunday as of 2010. Our exhibitors felt the percentage of
trade visitors on Sunday was simply too low," concluded Raue.

The following enterprises are among the exhibitors at CeBIT 2009:
Deutsche Telekom, Microsoft, IBM, SAP, Software AG, Datev, Vodafone,
Intel, Dell, Hitachi, Panasonic, Adobe, Alcatel-Lucent, British
Telecom, Hewlett Packard, Rittal, Lampertz, Oracle, Samsung, Yahoo,
symantec, E-Plus, Xing, LinkedIn, Acer, Porsche and Volkswagen.