UK gives way to home crowd at CeBIT
British resellers give trade show the cold shoulder
British resellers were in short supply in the reseller zone at CeBIT this year, as UK VARs gave the show the cold shoulder.
Many UK VARs do not see the benefit of the German show any more.
However, German resellers and manufacturers looking to increase their distribution bases were very much in evidence.
Alex Pidgley, managing director of The Computer Luggage Company and CeBIT attendee, said: "This used to be a pan-European show but now it's focused more on central Europe.
"Smaller UK resellers might find it useful to be here, if they're looking for new lines to sell or to keep an eye on what's happening."
Gavin Garbutt, chairman of N-able Technologies, said that although the Canadian manufacturer had not made contact with UK resellers, the show has proved useful for building contacts in other European countries.
"Our perception was that this is a German show, but we had Irish and Dutch resellers on the stand in the first few hours. We'll be coming back. It's a good place to meet distributors and get yourself noticed," Garbutt said.
The show, which was opened by German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, is a shop window for new technology.
Vendors are showing the latest PCs, PDAs, chips and storage, as well as more esoteric technology ranging from wireless fountain pens to paper computers.