IFA 2017: ‘more space for brands than ever before’

This year’s IFA technology show in Berlin (September 1 – 6) will include ‘more space for brands than ever before’, according to its organisers – gfu and Messe Berlin.

The 2017 exhibition will feature a new innovation area called IFA Next and a four-day, concurrent business-to-business event called IFA Global Markets, which is said to be Europe’s largest sourcing show for the electronics industry.

IFA Next will be located in Hall 26 of the Messe Berlin exhibition centre. There will be two arenas for presentations and demonstrations and one area for keynote speeches, the IFA+Summit and IFA hosted conferences.

The organisers said IFA Next will focus on providing a platform for innovation from all types of different sources, including start-up businesses, research labs, universities and new companies, large or small.

This year’s IFA will also include IFA Global Markets – a business-to-business show for suppliers, component manufacturers and OEMs that will run for four days (September 3-6) at Station Berlin, near Potsdamer Platz. A dedicated shuttle bus service will be available to transport visitors from the main IFA show to IFA Global Markets.

Speaking at this year’s IFA Global Press Conference, in Lisbon, Portugal, Dr Christian Göke (pictured), chief executive of Messe Berlin, said: “We believe it’s time to define consumer electronics in a new way. The boundaries between consumer electronics and home appliances, the digital and the physical worlds, are blurring.

“Whether it is in the kitchen, the living room or the office, the “consumerisation” of devices is exponential – from entertainment in the living room to healthcare and wellness, automotive, mobile devices, gaming, computing, services like the Internet of Things and the smart home, to new fields like drones, virtual, augmented and mixed reality.

“Today, consumer electronics connects and shapes everything. If you come to IFA, you see the future of how we live and work.”

He added: “We are structuring IFA 2017 to focus on brands and innovation – and define a new platform for companies that design, manufacture and sell components – the “building blocks” of future consumer electronics and home appliances.

“This year, we can offer more space to brands than ever before, all in one place and clearly organised by category. Visiting IFA is not a treasure hunt, but an immersive, focused industry experience.”

“We are also introducing IFA Global Markets, because we want to offer even better support for the one segment of our industry that underpins everything we do – the full end-to-end supply chain, from component manufacturers to OEMs and ODMs. That supply chain drives exponential diversity in new products that launch new markets at IFA. IFA Global Markets is a distinct platform, focused on creating Europe’s largest sourcing show for the electronics industry.”

Said Jens Heithecker, IFA’s executive director: “IFA Next puts innovation right at the heart of the show. For journalists and visitors, it is a unique opportunity to see the latest innovation all in one place.”

For an in-depth report from the IFA Global Press Conference, see the June issue of ERT magazine.