Last week, I took a road trip to Hanover, Germany, with my colleagues Inger and Sara. Our destination was CeBIT, one of the world’s largest IT and technology trade fairs. Trade fairs remain a great way to meet people face to face. Clearly, they still appeal: 201,000 visitors attended this year. For us, it was an ideal opportunity to meet new and existing contacts. But there were many other reasons why the journey of more than six hours was worthwhile. Here are three.
1. Broaden your perspective
The world of IT is big; perhaps that is why we write it in capitals. CeBIT illustrates this with an extraordinary number of halls, filled with three hundred exhibitors from seventy countries, each sharing its vision of IT. This year’s theme was the Internet of Things, or IoT.
The exhibitors showed just how differently IoT can be interpreted. It is about more than smart thermostats and talking fridges. Even server cabinet vendors have their own perspective on the trend. All that smart technology handles enormous amounts of data that need to be stored and managed. Vodafone, meanwhile, demonstrated why a superfast 5G mobile network would be needed to meet IoT’s demand for real-time responses.
2. Get to know the competition
Articles in trade publications, LinkedIn discussions and corporate websites often give you a good impression of an IT business and its competitors. A trade fair such as CeBIT adds another dimension. One company may position itself around the market segments it serves, while another focuses on product specifications. My job is to consider whether that positioning matches its online presence. It is also helpful to find all the competitors close together, making it easier to conduct a quick scan and competitive analysis.
3. Test your knowledge
As a PR consultant, I have spent quite a few years in the world of bits and bytes. Happily, when I walk around CeBIT, plenty of the stands, banners and large screens feel familiar. Being able to chat at length with a security vendor about hacks and DDoS attacks is reassuring confirmation that my IT knowledge is in good shape.
Lianne van Dijk
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