Most important b2b platform of the industry +++ 440 exhibitors from Austria and from abroad at Vienna’s trade fair centre Messe Wien +++ Visitor balance: five per cent more visitors +++ Visitor survey: large number of decision makers present, best marks for the fair in general, positive rating of the industry’s business activities
Vienna (8 February, 2008). – After three days, the fourth issue of the international fair trade for information technology and telecommunication, >ITnT< ended last night (Thursday, 7 February, 2008) in Vienna’s trade fair centre Messe Wien. And the overall result was thoroughly positive both for participants as well as for the organiser, Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien. “Not only did we register an increase of app. 13 per cent in exhibitors to 440, but we could also increase the number of trade visitors again and mark a new record with this”, Matthias Limbeck, topic-leading manager of the organiser Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, is pleased to state. Compared to last year this year’s event saw a five per cent increase in numbers of trade visitors: A total of 17,718 trade visitors have passed the turnstiles at the entrances to the fair. “The >ITnT< has proven to be a perfectly fitting, innovative trade fair concept in tune with the future which supports Vienna’s merits as ‘the gate to Central and Eastern Europe’ outstandingly. With this, the >ITnT< ranks amongst the three top new business fairs since Reed has entered the scene in 2001”, Matthias Limbeck explains. More than 10 per cent of the trade visitors attending the >ITnT< this year were from Austria’s neighbouring countries. Strikingly, the majority of these international visitors came from the Central and Eastern European neighbour regions. Christian Friedl, head of the business section Trade Fairs at Reed Exhibitions Messe Wien, emphasises: “The success of the >ITnT< has fully confirmed the chosen path and we will further intensify our efforts to find a voice on the market as laid out in our concept.”
Trade visitors all agree:
>ITnT< is very significant
The significance of the >ITnT< can also be seen from the results of the independent visitor survey. Almost two thirds of the interviewed trade visitors (62.5 %) stated they would not visit any other IT trade fair in a German-speaking country. Günther Theuermann, the fair director, states: “It becomes obvious from this figure that the major part of the trade visitors prefer an interregional trade fair like the >ITnT< to those mega-events”. Four fifths of the interviewees have rated the function of a meeting point of and the possibilities for public relations at the fair as one of their main motivation for attending the fair. Furthermore, market overview (82.4 %), looking for innovations (81.4 %) and new providers (70.4 %) are other reasons. Also, the very high number of decision makers present amongst the trade visitors at the >ITnT< (84.7 %) further underlines the significance of the fair in the industry. Four fifths (79.5 %) of the visitors interviewed proved to be overall content with the fair. And a higher than average number of interviewed fair visitors (23.7 %) stated to be attending the fair on more than only one fair day.
Major topics at the >ITnT<: What the visitors say
In the exhibition area of the >ITnT< the trade visitors were, according to the survey (various entries were here possible), especially interested in the areas network solutions (29.3 %), sectoral software (28.7 %), IT security (27.7 %), telecommunication (26.7 %), hardware (25.1 %), voice over IP (21.2 %) and IT consulting services (15 %). The central information and communication function of the >ITnT< can also be seen from the fact that only 4.2 per cent of the persons interviewed stated they would no longer need any consulting service for IT investments. And in the opinion of the trade visitors interviewed, the topics IT security (24.3 %), network solutions (18.8 %), voice on IP (16.7 %), telecommunication (12.5 %) und IT consulting services (10.5 %) will even increase in importance in the future.
The trends of the ICT industry: what the experts say
In the course of the press talk of “Digitales Österreich” (Digital Austria) on the opening day of the >ITnT< one of the topics were the trends of the ICT industry. Leo Steiner, general manager of IBM Austria in his statement very clearly showed the increasing trend towards “Green IT”. The environmentalist concept is not only relevant for hard- and software but is also applied in the construction of the infrastructure (saving energy in the data processing centre of the company), according to Steiner. SOA (service-oriented architecture), which offers a standardised infrastructure or a framework in a kind of modular system but at the same time enabling an individual adaptation in accordance with contents and requirements also forms a clear trend in the industry. In the topic “e-government”, Steiner sees a swing coming from the interactive to the integrated system. Franz Geiger, member of the board of Siemens AG Österreich, pointed out the enormous potential that the entire topic “e-government” still holds. On the federal level alone, just 117 from approximately 900 evaluated projects have been realised by now, according to Geiger. Christian Maranitsch, member of the executive board of Microsoft Austria, sees increasingly the person in the centre of modern communication. Here, communication solutions from person to person would be increasingly needed, he states.
Winning technical programme
For significantly more than half of the trade visitors (62.5 %) the technical side programme is an important motivation for visiting the fair. During the three fair days, this programme offered in the ‘Key Note Areas’ in halls A and B in total 74 presentations, lectures and panel discussions. And there were also the ‘Executive Lounge’ and the ‘Security Competence Center’ of the cooperation partner of the >ITnT<, the trade magazine ‘Computerwelt”, the ‘Matchmaking Forum’ of ITB-Europe, in combination with the contact forum CEE/SEE, the technology park and the user forum – the latter two organised by EC Austria.
Especially well received was the “EU-Matching” cooperation platform for SMEs of the IT and telecommunication sector, carried out by the AWO of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber, sponsored by the European Commission, on 5 February, at the same time with the >ITnT<. Entrepreneurs from all of (Western and Eastern) Europe from the fields of information technology and telecommunication solutions have met at app. 1,400 individual meetings. 20 different nations were present. The aim of this event was the transnational cooperation in this field and to find new partners from all of Europe.
The happy faces of the exhibitors
“The >ITnT< was organised perfectly and it naturally forms the IT highlight of the year“, emphasises Johannes Bischof, CEO of Konica Minolta – an exhibitor that was present at the >ITnT< for the third time in succession. “Here, we are directly in touch with the target group that is formed of the decision makers who at their companies are in charge for our integrated solution portfolio for software, printing and all-in-one-appliances. This year, the journalists’ interest was again especially intense because we presented the new trendy business design of our hardware – following the slogan ‘out of the copy room – into the office’. Exact ROI (return on investment) figures can not be provided yet but we have high expectations”.
Heinrich F. Hardinghaus, of Blackberry, also confirms the positive impressions: “We have actively accompanied the >ITnT< for numerous years and we can say that it has greatly improved, both for the visitors and for the exhibitors. The >ITnT< has become very attractive. Especially striking is the response from the technical departments from authorities and the industry, with the clearly defined goal to look for trendy and mobile applications. We are very pleased that, in cooperation with our partners, we could lastingly convince many visitors directly at our stand of the Blackberry technology and our mobile applications.”
Michael Abraham, key account manager of the FF Company, proudly states: “It was the right step to exhibit for the first time at the >ITnT<. It was discernible that a lot was going on and our stand was always full. That was evidence for the fact that the ideas we had for our fair presentation were well received by the trade visitors of the >ITnT<. The prominently placed 103 inch plasma screen by Panasonic received special attention. And the audience was very interested in the special notebook series ‘Toughbooks’. We are definitely going to exhibit again at the >ITnT 2009<.”
Andreas Hrzina, head of marketing at Rittal-Schaltschränke GmbH states: “The >ITnT 2008< went very well and we are very content with our appearance there. We were able to present our topic, energy efficiency for data processing centres, very well. We have registered more visitors than last year.” ‘Green IT’ is be a clear trend, according to Hrzina – thus the trade visitors were very interested in the fair presentation of Rittal.
Christian Stadlmann, sales director at Update claims: “We are very content with the >ITnT<. We have made 50 % new contacts. This is double the number of the contacts we made last year – we will definitely come back next year!”
Jutta Hanle, head of the business communication at Kapsch BusinessCom AG, explains: “Our fair stand was well frequented at all times. Especially our existing clients we could show new products and solutions from our portfolio.” The >ITnT< is a meeting point for the industry enabling a lot of important exchanges with partners and suppliers. This is an important ‘side effect’ of a fair.
The industry booms – best conditions for the >ITnT 2009<
The success of the >ITnT 2008< is for Matthias Limbeck all the more important since the economic trend of the industry creates best conditions for next year’s fair: “In the survey, four fifths of the visitors interviewed stated to be very content or content with the current economic situation of their industry, and almost three quarters expect better development still for the next twelve months. Thus, we start with great optimism and highly motivated to prepare the >ITnT 2009< which will take place from 27 to 28 January, 2009, in Vienna’s trade fair centre Messe Wien.” (+++)
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