Reporting from Lisbon, Portugal: gfu and Messe Berlin have announced that IFA 2017 will drive growth and innovation in the consumer electronics and home appliances markets – by offering brands more space than ever before; by giving IFA Global Markets much more space at our dedicated venue, where manufacturers can show their design and source components for future products; and with IFA NEXT, our new concept to give startups, research labs and companies at the edge of innovation their own platform – based in Hall 26, alongside the IFA keynotes and conferences.
“The markets for home appliances and consumer electronics products are converging. IFA is celebrating the 10th edition of Home Appliances @ IFA. IFA continues to be the leading platform for both market segments. No other trade show is able to meet all the demands of industry, retailers, consumers, and media participants like IFA. The show’s continued success is reflected in a steadily increasing order volume – more than $4.7 billion during IFA 2016,” said Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, the industry association that (fill in what gfu is and does).
Jürgen Boyny, Global Director, Consumer Electronics, at market researcher GfK Retail and Technology, said: “Turnover in the digital market remains high. Nearly $950 billion in total annual sales are expected in both 2017 and 2018. Whether at home or on the road, the smartphone is shaping market advances. The smartphone is connecting all areas of daily life, from the TV in the living room to the washing machine, coffee machine, or bathroom scales. The Internet of Things has already reached the consumer.”
Dr. Christian Göke, CEO 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 “consumerization” 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.”
“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,” said Göke. “This year, we can offer more space to brands than ever before, all in one place and clearly organized by category. Visiting IFA at Funkturm 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 Göke.
IFA Global Markets runs – for four days only – from Sunday to Wednesday (September, 3-6 ) in the heart of the city, at STATION Berlin near Potsdamer Platz. A dedicated shuttle service will transport visitors between IFA Global Markets and IFA.
Innovation is the DNA of IFA, and IFA 2017 will give innovation its own stage, whether it comes from start-ups, research labs, universities and companies large or small – at IFA NEXT, building beyond IFA TecWatch. IFA NEXT will be located in Hall 26, with two arenas of innovation that will host presentations and demonstrations; and one area hosting the IFA keynotes, IFA+Summit and the IFA Hosted Conferences.
Jens Heithecker, IFA Executive Director: “IFA NEXT puts innovation right at the heart of the show, for journalists and visitors it is a unique opportunity to see latest innovation all in one place.”
