IFA, gfu and GfK opened the IFA 2020 Special Edition (3-5 September) in Berlin with a mix of the virtual and the real.
Opening day of IFA 2020 Special Edition (3-5 September) in Berlin.
The successful opening of the IFA 2020 Special Edition has expressed the confidence of organisers gfu and GfK that the tech industry is ready to bounce back from the disruption and economic uncertainties of the pandemic.
“When it comes to doing business, nothing beats the personal connection. This is why having IFA 2020 as a real-life event is such an important sign. It is a symbol to show that together we can look beyond the pandemic and its consequences. There is a normal ahead, and now it is up to industry, retailers, media and consumers to build and shape the ‘normal’ that is going to emerge,” said Jens Heithecker, Executive Director IFA Berlin, highlighting the significance and symbolism of this year’s industry gathering in Berlin.
The IFA Global Press Conference was attended by international media who have traveled to Berlin and thousands others around the world who were following the event at the IFA Xtended Space, both live and on demand.
Qualcomm’s IFA 2020 presentation highlights the role of technology in a Covid-19 world, with its
President Cristiano Amon reprising an IFA keynote this year, giving a foretaste of what we’ll see going forward.
Walter Ji, President of Huawei Consumer BG, Europe also shared Huawei’s vision of the future and the company’s deep commitment to Europe.
LG Electronics will host a “Life’s Good from Home” theme at IFA 2020, where the company will explore new possibilities for enhancing home living which has become so crucial in recent unprecedented times.
As part of the IFA 2020 Special Edition, the exhibitors at “SHIFT Mobility meets IFA NEXT” will be presenting forward-looking innovations from mobility, consumer and home electronics.
More details below from the press release.
Providing the all-important industry and market context for this year’s IFA 2020 Special Edition, both GfK and gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH delivered new insights on how the global Consumer Electronics and Home Appliances market developed during the first half of 2020.
“Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, IFA had to be run as a scaled down event, of course, but already we can see that this year’s Special Edition of IFA is set to be a success. Together with our partner Messe Berlin we have built an innovation platform that offers both virtual and the all-important real-life experiences. The many presentations of new products here at IFA will provide important impulses to the market just when it is needed most – in the run-up to the period with the highest turnover across the global consumer electronics and home appliances industry,” added Kai Hillebrandt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, organizer of IFA.
The data showed that the value of the global Technical Consumer Goods (TCG) market, excluding North America and South Africa, fell to €306 billion during the COVID-19 retail shutdowns.
GfK’s panel market recorded a decline of 5.8 percent for TCG global sales for the first half of 2020 (H1 2020).
However, compared to other industries, this was a relatively small decline as this market benefitted from the opportunity to fulfil “at-home” needs and a trend towards digitization during the lockdown.
About IFA 2020 Special Edition
The IFA 2020 Special Edition – consisting of physical live events focusing on its B2B core functions of IFA – offers a meeting place for industry and trade in the IFA Business, Retail & Meeting Lounges and cross-industry innovations at SHIFT Mobility meets IFA NEXT.
“We live in a world of disruption, acceleration and data overload. This is why companies need to be able to identify the right signal from noise – faster than ever before – and also the reason why we transformed GfK radically to become a tech company. ‘gfknewron’ is GfK’s proprietary AI-powered software platform, which delivers fast and actionable recommendations based on trusted data,” said Peter Feld, CEO of GfK, a leading data and analytics companies, presenting the company’s new platform “gfknewron”, which is designed to help the industry to make the right business decisions.
While these event elements are aimed at trade visitors, media representatives can exclusively experience the latest products and services, press briefings and the IFA keynote live at the IFA Global Press Conference.
Health and safety is a top priority at IFA 2020 Special Edition, which will take place from 3 to 5 September 2020 as a three-day event with a limited number of participants in accordance with current regulations.
Digital IFA Experience
With a virtual extension – the “IFA Xtended Space” – the physical event is complemented by live and on demand streaming of presentations, match-making tools and digital product demonstrations.
The Xtended Space thereby is accessible for both on-site guests and all other interested participants around the globe.
Tags: Berlin, events, Germany, Huawei, IFA, IFA 2020, IFA GPC, LG, Qualcomm