The Governator Gives CeBit Audience a Pep Talk

CeBit is taking place in Hannover, Germany this week and the news is already rolling in.

Like any big tradeshow, the days prior are filled with columns and analysis of what to expect at the show. The pre-CeBit reports have been thin on the ground and little gloomy this year. They say to expect a much smaller show compared to years gone by – thanks to the current global economy – and while people are remaining optimistic (much like Sir Howard Stern’s “Let’s think about the future” talk at CES 09 in Vegas) and saying now is a time for innovation, not everyone is easily convinced.

On hand to give attendees a pep-talk was California Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar. The Governator last night spoke at the opening of CeBit 2009 and he had strong words for the audience.

The INQ reports that the Terminator actor quipped CeBit was "all about pumping up your business" and boasted about California's advanced computer technology (California was chosen as a partner country for CeBit this year, which is why Arnie is there in the first place). He then hailed technology as humanity's greatest asset, saying it was would help the most in the battle against climate change and told people to stand up and refuse to fail. 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also at the opening ceremony and told the audience she would take it upon herself to ensure three out of four German households had High Speed Data Links (HSDL) of 50 Mbps by 2015. She also appealed to owners of radio frequency spectrum to free up chunks of it for wireless data connections.

CeBit attendance is down 25 percent from 2008 and exhibitor numbers are down to 4,300. We’ll be bringing you the most important bits and pieces from Hanover so stay tuned for our CeBit coverage over the next few days.

Check out the full Arnie story on the INQ.