CeBIT 2009 numbers drop 100,000 as horror recession bites

Stan Beer
Monday, 09 March 2009 15:37

Opinion and Analysis

According to Deutsche Messe AG subsidiary Hannover Fairs Australia, its little sister show at the Sydney Convention and Exhbition Centre from May 12-14, CeBIT Australia 2009, is shaping up to be the biggest event the company has held in Australia - unlike the declining Hannover show.

“ Hannover Fairs Australia Managing Director Jackie Taranto, who led a delegation of top research and business leaders to CeBIT Hannover, said:

"We'’ve actually drawn strength from what we saw in Hannover, and we’re more confident than ever that CeBIT Australia 2009 will be the biggest event we’ve held in Australia in its eight year history.

“"There is enormous interest from business users in new, low-cost solutions that let them gain efficiencies without having to dig deep for capital outlays. We expect record numbers of visitors through the doors at CeBIT Australia, and we think our conference program – which has been tailored to suit the difficult times – will be especially well attended.”"

CeBIT Australia 2009 opens at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre at Darling Harbour from May 12-14.

The event include five separate technology conferences held on-site at the event, including AusInnovate, the nation’s peak R&D/commercialisation forum sponsored by top public sector research agencies NICTA, CSIRO ICT Centre and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO, and the e-Government Forum, sponsored by the Australian Government Information Management Office (AGIMO).

The other conferences are Access 2009, a peak business telecommunication event; WebForward 2009, a two-day conference on internet-based 2.0 technologies for business; and Enterprise 2009, a event focused on the latest cost-effective technology to maximise business returns.