How big is big data? CODE_n will answer this question at CeBIT 2014 with a larger-than-life, wall-to-wall installation in its signature CODE_n hall. CODE_n initiator, Ulrich Dietz, had the idea of creating a whole new kind of trade show. “Anyone who visits Hall 16 at CeBIT definitely won’t encounter a conventional trade show setup. At CODE_n, we aim to break through traditional models and create a space for big ideas, a place where forward-thinkers can exchange solutions,” states Dietz. Following in the footsteps of Tobias Rehberger, Jürgen Mayer H. and, most recently, Vincent Tavenne, designers Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram were handpicked by the CEO of the GFT Group to design the unique exhibition space.

According to FORM Magazine, these designers are “the vanguard of the next generation of digital designers.” Kram worked at the famous Massachusetts Institute of Technology before going to Silicon Valley; Weisshaar studied at the Royal College of Art. Their work can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in New York as well as in the Centre Pompidou in Paris.
Kram and Weisshaar have fashioned a design for CODE_n, which will adorn Hall 16 from floor to ceiling and feature a 3,000 square meter, high-resolution panoramic backdrop. It will place big data – this year’s CODE_n theme – center stage.

The actual hall and its spectacular auditorium will house the 50 startups presenting their innovative business models at CeBIT. They are the finalists of the global CODE_n innovation contest, which takes on the task of discovering the most future-ready young businesses and bringing them together in Hanover, Germany, each year.

“Since 2012, CODE_n’s unique artistic approach has made it the crossroads of creativity, dialogue and business at CeBIT” states Oliver Frese, chairman of CeBIT at Deutsche Messe. “In the coming year, the heart of our show grounds will once again be home to an exciting and inspiring space in which the meaning behind CeBIT’s theme of ‘datability’ will come to life.”

Mission: Dialogue
“The innovations of the 21st century are no longer isolated, tangible technologies, but rather ideas which add value in virtual spaces,” states Weisshaar. “This abstract virtual space is what we aim to capture in our larger-than-life visual images. Our mission is to create a panoramic roof where these ideas can unfold across all 5,000 square meters of the hall – forming an open forum without communication barriers.”

The design is intentionally very different from standard trade show booths. “We are turning the idea of conventional trade show construction on its head,” states Weisshaar. “Our gigantic vertical panels are actually images, and thus static media. However, as a stark contrast to the dynamics of the actual exhibition space, they will achieve a greater effect than the many other digital media surfaces featured elsewhere at the trade show.”

Click here for the hi-res preview image of the exciting designs planned for the show.

Participation open until November 15th

Young companies from more than 50 countries have already applied for one of the coveted finalist spaces in the CODE_n hall at CeBIT, breaking a CODE_n record. “We are amazed by the response we’ve gotten. We received inquiries on a daily basis, asking us to extend the application deadline,” states Mark Smith, CEO of CODE_n partner EY. “We were glad to meet that request.”

Young companies have until November 15, 2013 to prepare and submit their business ideas centering on the processing, analysis and use of large data volumes. Registration via the website www.code-n.org is required to participate.