3/01 - CeBIT 2001 - How long does it take to cover more than 20 exhibit halls housing more than 7000 exhibitors? Watch this space next week starting March 22 as we bring you the view from CeBit, the annual coming out party for the latest technology in all things related to information delivery on paper and alternative media. Hannover, Germany hosts the show, the largest of its kind, from March 22 to March 28. Dwarfing Comdex, with more than 782,000 visitors to 7892 exhibitors in 2000, show organizers expect even more foot traffic to the halls this year. We will pay special attention to announcements from Heidelberg, scheduled for the opening day of the fair. If their exhibit at DRUPA last autumn was an indicator, their stand will be a showcase of the latest innovations in the graphic arts industry, with a view toward the next generation of solutions. The Heidelberg presence is in Halls 1 and 9, where we’ll check-in to find out the latest. CeBit is often the focus of the Spring announcement season, so we will watch for news from Océ, Canon, Fuji Film, and the other major suppliers to the industry. We do not plan to stop with the basics, however. This year’s CeBIT showcases wireless technology for use in your firm, so we plan to look for the innovations that can give you the competitive advantage. One promising area is automated data capture, where the goal is to help you increase workflow by forecasting resource requirements for presses and digital imaging equipment and the people who guide the jobs through the business process. We also have press releases from vendors who plan to demonstrate workflow and business process improvement tools that reply on PDA and Pocket PC devices to help your customer service and sales personnel track and manage jobs. Some of the vendors will be concentrating their offerings around the Bluetooth wireless standard, while others have built their solutions around WAP. We will look for the best technology to help you make informed decisions about your next technology upgrade. Beyond the print and graphics industry is "e". From ebooks to ecommerce initiatives, "e" will be the most popular letter in the alphabet for the 7 days of CeBIT. Every major consulting company predicts that ebooks will be a major driver in the industry over the next 24 months, so we’ll look in on the players in the ebook market and try to find the opportunities in this growing industry. CeBIT has earned its reputation as being the most important show in Europe by encouraging vendors to make their announcements during the fair. We will be there to find out the latest on what you need to know and offer ideas on products and vendors.