Roland Tellzen, AustralianIT - Tuesday 27 May 2008
CEBIT Australia 2008 comfortably met its pre-show targets last week, with more than 35,000 visitors going through the doors at the three-day event in Sydney.
The show's organiser, Hannover Fairs Australia, yesterday reported show traffic rose 6.5 per cent over the previous year to reach 35,173 visitors, compared with last year's 33,041 visitors.
It was the second CeBIT Australia to make a profit, after the show recorded its maiden profit last year.
Hannover Fairs Australia managing director Jackie Taranto said the signs were already good for next year's show, with more than a quarter of the 753 companies exhibiting this year committed to return in 2009.
"It was the best show yet, and on these types of figures it can only get stronger next year," she said. "We've already had good feedback from our exhibitors, saying they've done some good business at the show.
"Based on the early estimates, we may even be beating Fashion Week in bringing investment into the country."
Direct business arising out of this year's show is too early to gauge, but a number of companies reported sealing deals that had their genesis in previous years.
Canberra-based payments system specialist eWay said it went into CeBIT 2008 with a large agreement with the Commonwealth Bank under its belt that helped it underpin any deals it could strike with other merchant partners. "It's a crazy deal for us in what it will mean for merchants," managing director Matt Bullock said.
"We signed the deal with the Commonwealth just over a week before CeBIT began, and the talks began at CeBIT last year.
"It means merchants that want to use our payment systems need only deal with us now, rather than go to-and-fro between us and Commonwealth.
"It very much takes away the barrier between the merchant and the bank, and means we can approach other partners with a streamlined offering to help them establish their mobile and electronic payment systems.
"For example, at this show, we've been able to start talks with the likes of AussieHQ, Salesforce. com and Mint Payment systems with a view to sealing partnerships in the future."
AussieHQ managing director Michael McGoogan was just as positive.
"We were overwhelmed yet again by the performance of the show and the return on investment we got from it. We will be back again for sure," he said. "We're confident we booked more than $500,000 in new leads from this show alone."
The Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), meanwhile, was bullish following the show, during which it hosted trade delegations with more than 30 buyers from countries including Brazil, India, Mexico, China, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand.
Austrade ICT national industry manager Peter Harrison said the response of delegation members was enthusiastic.
"We've had nothing but praise for what we were able to show off here of our innovation and expertise," Mr Harrison said. "Many of them were repeat visitors and came here to do business.
"We're aware of at least three deals, for example, from Papua New Guinea that were initiated at the show last year and were sealed this year.
The New Zealand delegation, the largest one to attend CeBIT from that country yet, represented 12 companies.
Austrade's Auckland-based business development manager, Sharl Gedye, said the Kiwis initiated new contacts and signed off on previous negotiations.
One New Zealand company that finalised unfinished business at this year's show was measurement technology specialist Senztek. Managing director Brian Kolles said CeBIT 2008 brought the finalisation of a partnership deal with Melbourne electronic components company Soanar.
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