World's largest ICT expo

CeBIT next~~Ideas gatherers for tomorrow's world

• Innovation portal promotes exchanges between creative minds
• Emergence of promising new approaches

Deutsche Messe and its IBM cooperation partner have been calling on trade fair visitors and Internet users throughout the world since 5 March to contribute their ideas of the future to the "CeBIT next" innovation portal. An array of innovative ideas on "Future Fair", "Future Work", and "Future Health" were then explored and developed in thirteen "CeBIT next" stations throughout the exhibition venue and on the Internet. The prominent visitors who delved into the ideas logbook included German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, Premier of the German State of Lower Saxony Christian Wulff, and the Lord Mayor of Hannover Stephan Weil.

Trade fair visitors and Internet users not only have the opportunity to contribute creative ideas; they can also evaluate, interlink, and develop them. A parallel chat function enables in-depth discussion of different approaches and a lively exchange of views. This technology from IBM offers companies and institutions alike a communications platform for their employees, customers, and suppliers, which they can use to reach agreement on specific issues. Several tens of thousands of participants can come together in a creative exchange spanning several time zones.

"The CeBIT community was very active in using this ideas machine. Numerous suggestions for improvement and hundreds of innovative ideas were contributed and discussed by users in all three topic clusters. We will implement some of the ideas at the next CeBIT," explains Ernst Raue, Member of the Board of Deutsche Messe.

"Technology Review", published by Heise Verlag, produces a daily compilation of the best five ideas with potential for the IT industry.

A "shower profile" for multi-person households is currently at number three in the ideas league table. "This is a totally realistic idea," says Felix Rümmele, "CeBIT next" project manager at IBM. "I'd also like a shower with a profile memory that automatically adjusts the position of the showerhead and the temperature for each particular user."

Internet users were able to give their ideas free rein at www.cebit-next.de until 31 March 2007. The best idea will receive an award at the exhibition center in Hannover in September 2007.