IFA announces a new concept for physical event in Berlin this September

IFA 2020 has announced that the show will go ahead as a real-life event from 3-5 September in Berlin but in a new format with tight restrictions on number of attendees.

The three-day show will be run as four standalone events with no more than 1,000 attendees for each event per day, ensuring it is well within the restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. This year’s IFA 2020 Special Edition will be an invite-only event and closed to the public.

The new concept for IFA 2020 was developed in close collaboration with public health authorities in Germany to ensure the health and safety of all participants. In a press conference this morning, Jen Heithecker, the executive director of IFA Berlin stated that health and safety was the priority when deciding on the new concept and that social distancing, careful crowd control and other effective public hygiene measures are all in place. 

Heithecker said: “After all the event cancellations during the past months, our industry urgently needs a platform where it can showcase its innovation, so that it can recover and rebound. The recovery of the industry starts here at IFA Berlin.” He also said that while virtual events were useful, they were “missing the immediacy, hands-on experience and human connections that make events like IFA Berlin so incredibly useful.”

All four events will be held within the Messe Berlin instead of being spread out across the city like usual. The four standalone events to make up the IFA 2020 Special Edition are: 

IFA Global Press Conference
The first of the four standalone events is the Global Press Conference, which usually takes place in April but has moved to September for 2020 and will be this year’s Global Showcase for Innovation and Technology. 

This event will invite 800 journalists globally to Berlin where brands and manufacturers will be able to show their latest products and devices. All keynotes and company press conferences will take place on two or three keynote stages curated by IFA to keep numbers own for the on-site production staff and ensuring high levels of hygiene standards both on stage and in the seating area for the media. 

IFA 2019 Press Conference
IFA 2019 Global Press Conference will be open to just 800 invited journalists this year. Source: Messe Berlin

As well as the press conferences, industry partners will also have the chance to create smart company and brand presentations for interviews and further talks with media representatives. 

The opening keynote for this year’s IFA will be delivered by Cristiano Amon, the president of Qualcomm who will be addressing the importance of connectivity during these unprecedented times. He will also speak about the company’s latest developments in 5G, AI and other key technologies that will drive the future of the internet and deliver the devices and capabilities the world needs.

IFA Next meets IFA SHIFT Mobility
Organisers have decided to combine its two innovations platforms, IFA Next and SHIFT Mobility, for this year only to bring an exclusive live event for the international tech community. 

This event will see technology start-ups and companies in the connected mobility sector come together to showcase their cutting-edge technology innovations.

IFA Next 2019
IFA Next and SHIFT Mobility will combine to make one of the four events at IFA 2020. Source: Messe Berlin

IFA Global Markets
The third event being held is IFA Global Markets which has grown to become one of Europe’s largest sourcing shows of OEMs and ODMs over the past three years. 

This year it will be held as a dedicated sourcing show in response to IFA’s industry partners who have shown the need for an industry sourcing show to repair and restructure its supply chains hit by the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic. 

IFA Business, Retail & Meeting Lounges
One of the most important parts of IFA 2020 is the opportunity to have meetings and make business deals. In 2019, brands and retailers struck deals worth more than €4.7bn during the event in Berlin. 

While the pandemic will make it impossible to replicate this level of deal-making and networking, show organisers will curate the IFA Business, Retail & Meeting Lounges to give brands and manufacturers the opportunity to meet retailers in a safe and efficient manner.

IFA 2019 Halls
The halls at this year's event will be used as event stages rather than the trade show we are used to. Source: Messe Berlin

Virtual IFA experience
While this year’s IFA 2020 is an invite-only event, organisers understand that interest in attending the show will outweigh the available places, and some people will be unable to attend due to travel restrictions. Therefore, IFA Berlin will offer virtual opportunities to anyone who still wants to be part of the IFA Berlin experience. 

If the pandemic worsens and lockdowns are reinstated, organisers have said they will have no choice but to resort to a completely virtual event instead of a restricted physical show. 

Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of the supervisory board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, the organiser of IFA, said: “IFA Berlin is the most important event for the consumer electronics and home appliances industry. These past few weeks, we have worked very closely with the IFA team to develop a concept that gives all our industry partners the platform they need to talk about their innovations.”

Dr Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin added: “Our IFA team really has pulled out the stops for this one. I’m incredibly proud of how they have tackled this challenge and come up with a solution for IFA 2020.”

IFA Berlin will be open to invited participants only from 3 to 5 September 2020 at the Messe Berlin.
 





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