Channelling CeBIT

Mitchell Smith

There was no seven-year itch at CeBIT 2008, with visitor numbers rising six percent from last year.

Figures show 35,173 attendees passed through the Sydney Exhibition Centre doors, sharing the halls with telcos, government agencies, software and hardware vendors and analysts.

A total of 410 international exhibitors were present, a record number for CeBIT.

The event helped businesses connect with potential customers, with feedback from exhibitors generally positive about the generation of new business leads.

CRN’s publisher, Haymarket Media, enjoyed a busy three days at its stand, showcasing its range of IT publications including PC Authority and Atomic.

This year CeBIT witnessed a stronger channel focus, with CRN hosting
a series of afternoon seminars on the last day of the event.

Barry Freeman of IT channel consultancy Quantify Corporation began the seminars by presenting several insights into how resellers can improve the success of their marketing programs.

“I do think we’re in for a tougher time coming forward. We’re going to have to become sharper,” he said. “It’s not that much fun just making the numbers, it’s too hard a business to be in to not go past it. The marketing engine has got to be pumping out leads all the time.”

Freeman shared a maxim that he said seemed obvious but can help drive staff to chase business: “no customers equals no cash”.

In order to maintain a healthy, growing business, Freeman said that resellers need to be completely sure of their particular value proposition so they be as convincing as possible to potential customers.

In addition to this, resellers also need to develop and – importantly – stick to a business plan with clearly defined targets.

Equally vital is improving client databases to capture more information, particularly personal, about their customers and then using this to open and enable a continuous line of communication with them.

Charles Cote, country manager of vendor Fortinet, delivered the keynote address on introducing emerging technologies through the channel.

“Channel partners need to make sure they do investigation behind the scenes, and from a global perspective, when they’re taking vendors into an emerging market.”

His presentation formed the platform for a panel discussion on the same subject, with Freeman, Cote and Michael Costigan, marketing director of distributor Avnet.

“Resellers are a very resilient bunch, they have great technical skills, their main skill is to be able to go out there and demonstrate the value of solutions,” said Costigan.

Freeman added that despite a tightening of the belt brought about by shrinking margins, switched-on resellers will be able to seize upon the wow factor around emerging technologies.

“Emerging technologies give us the opportunity of having a good marketing message to get attention when you market that product or solution. What emerging technologies do is to allow a reseller to put together a very good story that will get attention. Good marketing copy is often the key,” he said.
Jackie Taranto, managing director of Hannover Fairs Australia, the organiser of CeBIT Australia, said this year’s event was a runaway success.
“We had a great show this year with some terrific content in both the exhibition side as well as our conference events. We’re very happy also that we continued to bring so many overseas companies to Australia, contributing significant inward investment,” she said.

“We have had great feedback from our exhibitors and we’ve heard anecdotally of some great deals getting done on the showfloor. The quality of the business visitors has improved enormously over the past two years as a direct result of significant investment in our registration and marketing platforms, and that is gratifying to see.”

The NSW Government was also supportive of the event, with Verity Firth, Minister for Science and Medical Research, claiming that CeBIT plays a valuable role in promoting the state as an ICT innovation hub of Australia.

“CeBIT Australia promotes the strengths and export capabilities of the NSW ICT industry and showcases NSW as a leading location for high-technology investments in the Asia Pacific,” Firth said.