Messe Berlin (Exhibition Centre) - Nord entrance. Photo: thetechsense.com
Berlin, 9 September 2015 – One of the most successful IFA shows in the history of the event has come to a close with an unexpectedly large increase in trade visitors from Germany and abroad.
Overall, the total number of visitors rose to 245,000. 1,645 exhibitors displayed their new products to the markets around the world. The majority of trade visitors came from abroad.
Among retailers and exhibitors at IFA expectations for end-of-year business were given a strong boost. Never before had the industry displayed so many new product categories and were so many products shown to the public for the first time. With orders placed amounting to around 4.35 billion euros IFA once again confirmed its standing as the world’s leading trade fair for the industry and retail trade before the peak annual sales period in the run-up to Christmas.
“Innovation is key to growth and innovative products have been the driving force of IFA for over 90 years. As a result, IFA’s contribution to positive developments in the various sectors has been huge. It is an outstanding platform for conducting successful business. With its renewed increase in orders IFA 2015 provided impressive proof of this“, said Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of the supervisory board of Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH (gfu), the organisers of IFA.
“In 2015, as the world’s leading trade fair for the home appliances industry IFA continues to occupy a trendsetting role. We are extremely satisfied with the way the fair went and look forward with optimism to end-of-year business“, said Dr. Reinhard Zinkann, chairman of the Home Appliances Trade Association ZVEI.
Dr Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin said: “We are pleased that we were able to organize the most successful IFA of all time. The growth of international trade visitors is a phenomenal success.”
CE China, a global IFA event
The team of IFA has begun preparing for CE China, a new trade fair in Shenzhen, China. As a global IFA Event CE China will broaden Messe Berlin’s portfolio by entering onto the Chinese market. The first edition of CE China is scheduled for April 2016.
The new event will take over IFA’s successful concept in an aim to establish it as China’s leading trade fair for consumer electronics and home appliances.
Jens Heithecker, Executive Director of IFA at Messe Berlin: “CE China will be modelled on IFA in Berlin. We are confident that with the Economy, Trade and Information Commission of Shenzhen we have secured the right partner for this global event, which will be under the aegis of IFA’s organisers.“
The world at home in Berlin
The reports filed by almost 6,000 journalists, including 2,700 from more than 70 countries, reached 1.2 billion people worldwide. The many stories published in the world’s leading high-circulation print media were a reflection of the massive interest in IFA. Publications included The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, USA Today and New York Times (USA), The Nikkei (Japan), The Korea Times and JoongAng IIbo (Korea), Le Monde and Le Figaro (France), El Pais (Spain), The International New York Times and The Guardian (UK) as well as El Watan (Algeria), The Khaleej Times and The National (United Arab Emirates).
In 2015 there were numerous international broadcasting networks represented in the IFA Global Broadcasting Centre, including the news agencies AP and Reuters, Eurosport and Deutsche Welle TV, the public broadcasters of EBU in Switzerland and the private networks of ENEX in Luxembourg. Among the international networks reporting on IFA were CCTV and Tianjin TV from China, 01net TV, LCI, BFM TV, MCM, Sport 365, Euronews and OUATCH.tv from France, the BBC, RAI and Mediaset from Italy, NHK from Japan, Polsat News from Poland, YTN and KBS from South Korea, IBA International from Israel, Nine Network from Australia, TRT from Turkey as well as the US networks CNBC/ NBC and Bloomberg.
Jens Heithecker, director of IFA: “With 2,700 international journalists in attendance IFA was covered by every major daily in the world. More than 25 broadcasters from around the world reported on the latest technological innovations every day. IFA guarantees the attention of the world’s media.”
IFA International Keynotes – the platform for international CEOs
The IFA International Keynotes provide a global platform for CEOs and international decision-makers from the consumer electronics and home appliances industries.
’How displays will change our lives’ was the topic of the opening keynote speech of IFA 2015. For Sang-Beom Han, CEO and president of LG Display, it was clear that the future belonged to OLEDs, a product developed by his company.
“We need to transcend the limits of conventional design“, said Sang-Beam Han. “OLEDs are the key to the future which will open up new possibilities“, he added.
By 2016 the current figure of networked devices is expected to double, from 300 to 600 million. Concluding his IFA keynote speech Paliwal said: “the age of smart audio has only just begun“, and explained that audio would have a growing influence on every aspect of our lives. There was a transition taking place from the digital to the networked to the smart world, over the course of which new and exciting markets would develop.
In the first month after it reached the market Microsoft’s new operating system Windows 10 was downloaded by 57 million users, who used 90,000 different types of computer and models. These and other similarly impressive figures were quoted by vice president Nick Parker of the OE manufacturer Microsoft in his keynote speech at IFA 2015. According to Microsoft’s forecasts another 509 million users will be added in a year, with no end to growth in sight.
IFA+Summit
In 2015 the conference format IFA+Summit – the Next Level Of Thinking welcomed more than 35 speakers from nine countries. Over 300 guests representing all the creative industries, politics and the cultural sector, as well as speakers with forward-looking views on mobility, health, big data, design, the home and entertainment took part in the exclusive evening event at the Marshall Haus.
IFA is the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances and will take place on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds (ExpoCenter City) from 2 to 7 September 2016.
Source: Press release
