Attendance at CeBIT down 30%

The many many many halls at CeBIT 2003 are walkways where if you bump into somebody else, it is probably a minor miracle of sorts.

Although we haven't been able to pin down an official CeBIT press rep yet to ask about the attendance, unofficial estimates are that it is 30 per cent down on this time last year.

Further, it's pretty apparent just from glancing round the press bar that things are not going swingingly. There are so few journos that the beer is being discounted in case it goes off.

The biggest press contingent seems to be Brithax, we've counted about 12 so far, inclusive. And two of them are working for the SnoBIT show daily as far as we can figure it.

Even the PRs are in short supply. Top co-winner of the PR awards at CeBIT last year was Julian Tanner. But he doesn't seem to be here this time round, although the other winner, Chaz Brooks, of Chaz Brooks Associates certainly is.

So Chaz wins our PR of SnoBIT 2003 award outright. Beautiful day here today… not a cloud in the sky, nor on the horizon.

One German hack we talked to bitterly complained that not only are there few new products, but the products there are, vendors wanted him to buy to test. Sheesh! Things must be gloomisch.