14 DAY TRIAL // That kind of sums up, in just a few words, my experience during my short visit at this year's CERF.
A large number of tech passionate people, but not only, considering the fact that, in many cases, the young ladies presenting various computing or navigation systems or all sorts of PC components were drawing more attention to themselves than to the products they were presenting. Quite a large number of companies, from a wide range of fields (all of them IT related, of course), had booths at CERF, presenting a large number of products, from tablets to mobile phones, underwater digital cameras or digital television services.
However, strangely, some of the biggest names in the industry, as for example Asus, haven't had their own booth. As an official from one of the most important technology importers in Romania told us, this year's expo is not quite what it used to be, at least from the point of view of the number of attending companies. But the subject of this article are not statistics (which you'll be able to find in our other news on the subject), but rather what I saw and felt at CERF. And one thing that really impressed me was the companies' creativity in designing their booths or showrooms. Each of them caught the eye somehow.
Thus, the UltraPro computers booth welcomed its guests with martial arts shows, Counter-Strike contests and semi-clad ladies, handing over various leaflets and receiving some very long and "drooling" looks from the passers-by. Just "next-door", at the iGO booth, I found a "pimped-up" car, full of high-tech audio/video and navigation gear, and in the LG area I found a full-sized Formula 1 racecar.
Amid the large number of booths I've visited, there were a few that really impressed me, although for different reasons. One of them was that of Samsung, where I've seen the largest plasma TV currently on sale in Romania, an 80-inch monster. At Samsung, it wasn't necessarily the plasma that impressed me, or the girls presenting it, or the huge number of products on display. It was the showroom's hi-tech but minimalist look that I found particularly appealing, that particular combo between high-quality technology and style.
Another interesting area was the one set up by Philips, where, besides the cheerleaders and the mini-football field (Philips, as a partner of this year's Football World Cup in Germany, really boasted this sport within its expo-area), one could experience first hand the sensations offered by some very interesting hi-tech interiors. Moving right along to the communications sector, a very pleasant surprise was Romtelecom's Booth concept, a huge blue Zeppelin, around which a very funny gentleman, dressed in a mouse pointer suit (the ClickNet Express logo) was dancing like crazy. Honestly speaking, I really didn't expect such an interesting concept and display of creativity from a company many Romanians hate, but considering the fact that the competition is going strong lately, it's quite clear that the ex-state owned company had to change its way of looking at the consumers, which is a very huge step forward.
As I've mentioned in the beginning, this year's CERF was a pretty crowded place, meaning it enjoyed quite a high level of success. And one of the reasons was the girls presenting the products. Out of them, the ones that drew the most attention (and sighs, for that matter), were the ones wearing the ATI and Gigabyte logos (and almost nothing else). In any case, one thing's for sure: the combo between mini skirts, half-naked, attractive girls and technology still attracts the tech boffins.
And now, to explain the last part of the title. The Dinamo Bucharest football team (one of the most important in Romania), was quite an unexpected presence at CERF. I don't think that I have to go into any details regarding the hostesses' reactions when seeing the football players, as I'm sure you can imagine that yourselves, or what booths the guys visited. One thing's for sure, though: if for us, normal people, some of things on display were way too expensive, the players from Dinamo must have felt much in the same way as when going to the supermarket. And that's probably why they had come, in order to see what plasma TV they should buy for their villas or what's the latest trend in mobile phones.
In the end, here's the top 5 showrooms that really impressed me (but, nevertheless, I expect from all of you who have visited CERF to send me a top of the hostesses, as well as comments on the booths that really impressed you).
1. Romtelecom Zeppelin 2. Sony showroom. 3. Philips/Samsung 4. Olympus (MGT educational); 5. UltraPro
The world of technology came once again to Romania, dazzling the minds and pockets of many visitors who couldn't "hold their horses". Speaking about horses, the Ferrari logo monopolized the event, as I've seen it on cars featuring the latest technology one could imagine, on flat screens creating the ultimate multimedia experience, and on little race cars giving you the perfect 'reality feeling' while playing.
However, even if it doesn't resemble to the famous European CeBit, from size to the number of manufacturers, it is the first attempt of creating a renowned IT & C Romanian fair. As a result, I will retain most of my opinions and say that Expotek, the organizer, did a good job.
I met many IT editors there, all of them being again disappointed about the nonexistent glamour of gadgets, latest technology and innovation as a whole.
All of you who have been once at CeBit will see the difference. But, as Romania is not Germany, and the market is not quite familiar with the IT world, I will say again? it is the first step towards creating one great European event during which, in the future, manufacturers will launch their products worldwide. Let's hope so!
Photos from CERF 2006
Photo: Tudor Raiciu
