With a new word ‘diconomy’ aptly coined and the call to the world to with a three-word phrase ‘join – create – succeed’ as the anthem, the world’s leading Information and Communications Technology show is set to open new frontiers to a whole new experience for technology growth, adaptation and use. By MKPE ABANG
While to many digitisation may appear still a far-off journey much too tedious to commence, CeBIT 2016 is providing the grandest platform to situate the process most fittingly as countries globally sprint towards actualising a digital world. And, registration for CeBIT 2016 has since commenced, with high prospects for exhibitor and attendee numbers surpassing the 2015 event, especially given the interest being generated around the world by digitisation.
Digitisation, which is simply the conversion of analogue information into digital information, is crucial in the data processing, storage and transmission as it allows information of all kinds and in all formats to be carried with the same efficiency and intermingled.
Thus, as the digitisation wave sweeps across every segment of business and society, the lead theme of CeBIT 2016 reflects this megatrend, which is fundamentally changing the way we live and work. CeBIT 2016 begins on March 14 and ends on March 18.
And, as officially announced by Deutsche Messe, organisers of CeBIT, the lead theme of CeBIT 2016 will be “d!conomy: join – create – succeed.”
Oliver Frese, the Deutsche Messe Managing Board member in charge of CeBIT, had commented in Hannover, Germany, venue of the event, while announcing the theme:
“The new theme will put the focus squarely on people and their role as deciders and creative designers, which puts them right at the centre of the processes that are driving the digital transformation. That’s why it’s only fitting that, in this early phase of the digital age, the call to action should be “join, create, succeed.”
Following close consultation with the digital industries, Deutsche Messe made a conscious decision to once again address “d!conomy” as the theme highlighted in 2015. Frese: “Digitisation is impacting every area of business and society. And far from being a short-term phenomenon, it will continue to open up a steady stream of big opportunities well into the future. So now is the time for companies to secure their own future by actively engaging with the new challenges posed by digitisation?”
CeBIT’s new lead theme, “d!conomy: join – create – succeed,” denotes an on-going process rather than a final state. It therefore speaks to every decision-maker and every company across all industries and at all stages of digitisation. “Current studies show that SMEs, in particular, are still ambivalent about embracing the digitisation trend,” said Frese. For instance, a recent study by Roland Berger revealed that only one in two companies had investigated the implications of digitisation for their own business models, and that nearly two thirds of companies did not consider themselves to be digitally advanced.
“Those are significant findings, especially considering that digitisation will affect every link in existing value chains across all industries. The problem is further compounded by the disruptive influence of young, agile companies with radical new digital business models that are looking to upend established markets and edge out existing players in a very short space of time,” remarked Frese.
According to Frese, the chosen “d!conomy: join – create – succeed” theme also highlights the universal nature of the benefits afforded by digitisation, which everyone has the opportunity to share in, be they in business, public administration, politics or society in general. “That’s why today, in the early years of the digital age, we have to create an overarching framework for the digital transformation, including an appropriate policy framework for key aspects, such as data security and privacy. We also need to develop new business models, customer interfaces and business and production processes as well as new ways of communicating and working,” explained Frese. “Companies wanting to survive in an ever more dynamic marketplace need to start seizing the opportunities of digitisation today. And they will find all the information, inspiration and innovations they need at CeBIT.”
In 2016, the world’s leading showcase for digital business will once again provide a complete overview of all the opportunities and challenges of digitisation. It will also provide a discussion platform for a huge range of topics, including the more controversial issues of the day. Next year’s event will place major emphasis on user-centric showcases, while panel discussions and presentations at the CeBIT Global Conferences will deliver a vast array of new visions and concepts from renowned industry leaders. Disruptive business models will also feature strongly throughout the fair, for example at SCALE11 – a special display dedicated exclusively to young startups.
CeBIT Welcome Night
And, this year for the first time in the history of CeBIT, guests from across the world will be festively welcomed to the event at a new “CeBIT Welcome Night” to take place right on site at the Hannover Exhibition Centre.
“We expect more than 2,000 guests to gather in halls 8 and 9 at our “CeBIT Welcome Night”, at the end of the first day of tradeshow business. The event will put even more of an emphasis than ever before on creative staging, plus networking opportunities for the global community,” explained Frese, who added that the “CeBIT Welcome Night” will thus round off a busy first day in an especially fitting way.
On the first day of CeBIT, the CeBIT Global Conferences in Hall 8 will kick off with an EU Conference to be chaired by EU Commissioner Günther Oettinger, who will be joined by the BITKOM’s new president, Thorsten Dirks, and numerous other international business players contributing either as keynote speakers or panel members. In the afternoon, the Switzerland Summit will take place in Hall 8, where attention will focus on Switzerland’s digital economy and the country’s virtues as the official Partner Country for CeBIT 2016.
In the evening more than 2,000 international guests will flock to Hall 9 for the “CeBIT Welcome Night”. “We are organising a special in-hall reception for our guests from the international business and political communities”, said Frese.
The speakers include German Vice-Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel, the Swiss President Johann N. Schneider-Ammann, Lower Saxony Premier Stephan Weil, the German Minister for Research Johanna Wanka, the EU-Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Günther H. Oettinger and BITKOM President Thorsten Dirks. Nick Hayek, company president of the Swiss Swatch Group, has also agreed to speak as a representative of the user industries. When the official part of the event comes to a close there will also be plenty of opportunities for networking and partying at the “CeBIT Welcome Night”.
The following morning German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel will share her views on the innovative power of the digital economy. Due to the regional elections taking place in three German federal states on the Sunday shortly before the start of the event and the official engagements that this will entail, the Chancellor’s tour of the CeBIT exhibition that lasts for several hours and normally takes place on Monday has this time been scheduled for Tuesday, instead. The German Chancellor will be joined by the soon to be elected President of Switzerland and a high-calibre Swiss Partner Country delegation.
For the media, this year’s CeBIT will begin a day earlier, on Sunday. In the morning, more than 150 journalists are expected to take part in a tour of CeBIT highlights. Various events will follow in the afternoon, among them the BITKOM opening press conference and several press conferences by exhibiting firms. A special reception is being held exclusively for journalists and press spokespersons, thus providing further networking opportunities and giving a pleasant and relaxing close to the Sunday preceding CeBIT 2016.
“This new thematic thrust and our move to bundle all activities right on the CeBIT showgrounds came about in response to explicit wishes on the part of our exhibitors, with the goal of giving the international business community, government officials and media representatives an even more powerful start to the world’s most important trade fair for the digital economy”, remarked Frese.
About CeBIT
Staged annually in Hannover, Germany, CeBIT is the world’s leading showcase for everything to do with digitisation. Global enterprises, SMEs, startups and other companies and organisations take part in this unique exhibition/conference for insight into all the essential topics, such as Big Data & Analytics, Cloud Applications, Mobile Solutions, Social Business, IT Security and the Internet of Things. Featuring over 200 expert speakers, the parallel CeBIT Global Conferences offer a comprehensive array of keynotes and forums addressing all of the hottest trends in the digital industry.
Attending CeBIT 2016 from Nigeria
Deutsche Messe has simplified the process of registering to attend CeBIT from all regions of the world. For instance, for sub-Saharan Africa, attendees and exhibitors can register to exhibit at or attend the event through Fairpros (www.fairpros.com), which operates offices in 33 African countries including Nigeria. The Nigeria office, under Fairpros Nigeria (nigeria@fairpros.com), is operated by IT & Telecom Digest (www.ittelecomdigest.com) through which intending exhibitors and visitors can register for CeBIT 2016.