The big German computer fair Cebit will probably not take place in 2019. The fair is thus dead. What is your opinion on this?
What happened? Recently, the end of Cebit was surprisingly announced. The Cebit fair in Hanover has existed since 1986.
That’s why Cebit is closing: The large German computer fair with the strange name “Centrum für Büroautomation, Informationstechnologie und Telekommunikation” was only able to attract a few exhibitors.
So far, only 6,000 square meters of exhibition space had been rented. In 2018, it was three times as much at the same time.
Additionally, the visitor numbers steadily declined:
- In 2001, record numbers of over 800,000 visitors were counted.
- In 2017, there were only about 120,000.
According to the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung, those were still inflated numbers. In reality, only 75,000 visitors were present on the grounds.
The Cebit would have been a huge financial loss in 2019, which is why the emergency brake was pulled, and the fair was canceled. As a replacement, the much larger Hanover fair will serve, which was already in competition with Cebit.
Ferris wheel didn’t help
Why is Cebit dead? One reason for the decline was, among other things, the already mentioned competition with the large Hanover fair, which covered similar topics.
Moreover, the topic of computers is no longer a niche that would be addressed at a single fair, believes Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil in an interview with NDR. Rather, the topic “computer” is now represented at several fairs, including GamesCom and E3, and Cebit no longer held the status it once did.
Furthermore, the fair had been heavily focused on professional visitors and seriousness for years. Private visitors and computer games were not welcomed. In 2017, they wanted to change this and give the fair more of an event character, including live music and a Ferris wheel. This, however, apparently did not help.
What is your opinion? But enough about the reasons for the downfall of Cebit. What do you think of this development? Is it good that the fair, which nobody needs anymore, is now coming to an end? Or could Cebit have been saved after all? Participate in our embedded survey and share your opinion with us.
