The name CeBIT stands for Centrum der Büro- und Informationstechnik - Center for buero and information technology - and was traditionally the CeBIT was part of the Hanover Fair, a big industry trade show held every year. However in the 1980ties the information technology and telecommunications part did grow so much it was split into a separate trade show starting 1986, held four weeks before the Hanover Fair.
As the CeBIT did grow quickly and was soon becoming too big on it's own, it was decided to concentrate on the professional market, while the home and entertainment market was split into a separate show, the CeBIT home, planned to be biannual. However after two times in 1996 and 1998 it was discontinued.
Starting in 1999 the Deutsche Messe AG as host of the CeBIT starts to export the concept and name by organizing similar trade shows internationally, the first CeBIT in the USA was hold in June 2003.