Switzerland’s largest IT fair shifts focus

SMEs are the new focus at the high-tech fair swissinfo.ch

Switzerland’s biggest information technology (IT) fair has opened in Basel, amid fears that it will fail to draw large visitor numbers.

This year Orbit/Comdex has shifted its focus onto the high-tech needs of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

But the fair appears to be a mere shadow of its former self; in its heyday, it attracted an impressive 110,000 visitors.

Management then decided the event had grown too big and chose to target the business sector only – which led to a fall in visitor numbers.

Two years ago, the fair only attracted 41,000 visitors, which was considered a flop.

New direction

“We have chosen a new direction and will now target SMEs,” says Alain Pittet, who runs the fair.

To attract SMEs, the entry fee has been dropped from SFr55 to SFr39, and the fair is remaining open on Saturday.

Some of the smaller companies attending said they hoped to benefit from the traffic that larger companies attract.

“We’re happy with the fair – the contacts we made so far are promising,” said Hanspeter Stoffel, of Geneva-based GIT, a software firm.

But some of the bigger names in technology, such as Sony, Philips and Samsung, have decided to stay away from Orbit this year.

Others, such as Cisco, have a smaller presence at the show, and are often partnering larger suppliers, such as Swisscom.

“The conceptual changes we made to this year’s fair came out late – well after many companies had planned their exhibition budgets,” Pittet said.

Roadshows

But that’s not the only reason why companies have stayed away. Some larger firms are skipping trade fairs and opting for roadshows.

But Pittet doubts whether roadshows will overtake trade fairs as a means of promoting new products.

“To see an entire range of products, a person would have to attend at least five roadshows, while they can see everything at one fair,” he said.

While some foreign firms have stayed away, others are coming to Basel to show off their wares.

“We are looking for business partners,” says David Hwang, from Hana, one of ten Korean firms exhibiting at the fair.

“And we’re talking to potential business customers only, not end consumers,” he says.

The most popular stands are all about hardware: new notebooks, home cinema systems and flat screen technology.

swissinfo, Philippe Kropf, Basel (translated by Karin Kamp)

In brief

Orbit was originally an IT fair aimed at the general public – but shifted focus to the business sector when attendance ballooned to 110,000 in 1999.

But its relaunch was considered a flop, as the fair failed to attract the number of business visitors it had hoped for.

This year, Orbit is once again redefining itself, with its new focus on SMEs.

Key facts

402 exhibitors in attendance.
Focus on SMEs.
Lower entrance fees.