Organisers of the world’s largest annual technology conference may have cancelled CeBIT Hannover for 2019 as part of an event portfolio restructure, but CeBIT Australia will still go ahead as planned.
InnovationAus.com understands the organisers of CeBIT Australia, Hannover Fairs, which is part of Deutsche Messe, will rebrand the local arm of the event.
Details of next year’s CeBIT event on the company’s website suggests it will be the “new Festival of Innovation” to be held in October, a move from the event’s usual May date. The NSW government will also continue to support the event.
Hannover Fairs managing director Harvey Stockbridge said CeBIT Australia has always “forged a separate path” and will continue to develop a program for a “reimagined CeBIT Australia.”
“Our program team have constructed a hundred strong advisory committee, set across eight industry verticals that are central to the digitisation story in the Asia Pacific region. They are working hard to shape the new event, to create formats that deliver meaningful personal interactions, and opportunities for growth that will enable individuals to drive forward their businesses and personal careers,” he said.
CeBIT Australia hosted more than 350 exhibitors from 34 countries – including 100 startups – as well as nine separate technology-focused conferences last year, making it the biggest tech festival in the country.
Deutsche Messe said the cancellation of CeBIT Hannover was due to reduced space bookings for the event as a result of “technological developments within the digital economy that have reduced demand for horizontal tradeshows such as CeBIT.”
Deutsche Messe chief executive Jochen Kockler said because of the perceived overlap between CeBIT and the company’s other technology event, Hannover Messe, which covers all aspects of industry technology, the company will integrate parts of CeBIT to exist as part of the larger trade fair.
“We are currently examining the digital market to determine which remaining CeBIT topics we will develop into new events,” he said.
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