MORE than 95 per cent of Hong Kong participants in the CeBit Hanover trade fair next year are original equipment manufacturers (OEM). Fair organiser Deutsche Messe said among Asian participants, Taiwan was the largest delegation with 282 members, followed by Hong Kong with 74 exhibitors. The trade fair, which spotlights the latest developments in the information technology and communications industries, will be held from March 8 to 15 next year in Hanover, Germany. A total of 5,900 exhibitors from 55 countries and regions have registered for the fair. Deutsche Messe director Joerg Schomburg described the exhibition as a 'gateway to the world market'. 'Exhibitors from all over the world, from Alaska to Chile, can meet each other and they not only sell to Germany but also to other countries,' he said. He said CeBit Hanover was a meeting point of east and west, in which countries from eastern and central Europe would also participate - this would be of interest to those visitors and exhibitors who were looking for potential business partners in eastern Europe. Hanover hosts about 60 fairs each year.