Taiwanese businesses dominate this year's CeBIT Asia in Shanghai, despite the fact that some of the nation's top names declined to make the trek.
CeBIT Asia is the younger cousin of the world's largest information-technology fair CeBIT which is held in Hannover annually. According to show organizers, the second annual IT show plays host to more than 540 companies from 25 countries, up marginally from the inaugural event last year which saw 509 exhibitors from 23 countries.
Taiwanese account for 161 of those exhibitors and more than a quarter of the 12,000m2 in floor space at the show.
PHOTO: TIM CULPAN
Missing from the show, however, are some of Taiwan's biggest names, such as Acer Inc (
"They decided to change their marketing strategy and so wanted to be part of the forum, but not the show," said one organizer.
According to an earlier press release, organizers were hoping to draw 700 exhibitors to the show this year.
However, Deutsche Messe Public Relations Manager Monika Brandt denied that figure was ever in their planning. She said that 700 is the goal for next year. The official show guide states "some 600" exhibitors were at last year's show, while the actual figure is 100 lower.
Organizers have been very touchy about bad press for the event, at one stage calling in two reporters to berate them for unfavorable coverage in the lead up to the show. Brandt said she's not worried by the absence of some big names.
"We're working on it -- Rome wasn't built overnight," she said.
The show runs head to head with Taiwan's Computex in the IT trade fair sector, with the Taiwan event being older and larger. Brandt claimed not to know about Computex.
CeBIT Hannover, Comdex in Las Vegas and Computex Taipei are the world's three largest IT trade fairs, with big and small names flocking to the events to show off the latest technologies and serves as a venue for buyers and sellers to do deals.
"There's a lot of global players at CeBIT Hannover and we'd like to lead them over to this market," said Brandt.
South Korea's Samsung and Japan's Panasonic both have large displays with song-and-dance girls, while AMD Inc and Intel Corp are both clearly visible at the show.
Leading the Taiwan contingent are VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子), AOpen Inc and Elitegroup Computer System Co (精英電腦). Dozens of smaller vendors also fill the Taiwan Pavilion, selling everything from PC cases to wireless routers. While the pavilion bears the name Taiwan, and its stats are counted among the foreign exhibitors, the show guide refers to "Taiwan province."
Few new products are on display, with the show being a chance for vendors to find local buyers and distributors. Despite organizers claims of being a regional affair, there's a real sense that this is all about the Chinese market.
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