Health and Safety first as IFA Berlin reinvents itself for 2020 as a three-day event –
from 3 to 5 September – with a tight limit on the number of attendees.
IFA will host four stand-alone events: the IFA Global Press Conference for brands’
keynotes and press conferences; the sourcing show IFA Global Markets; the innovation
platform IFA NEXT meets IFA SHIFT Mobility; and the IFA Business, Retail and Meeting
Lounges.
Taking place over just three days – from 3 to 5 September – this year’s IFA 2020
Special Edition falls well within the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The
invite-only event will put strict limits on the number of attendees and focus on IFA’s
four global core functions, which are:
- an innovation showcase for brands;
- a platform for cutting-edge technologies;
- a sourcing event for OEMs and ODMs; and
- a marketplace where retailers and brands can come together.
IFA 2020 will be the first opportunity for the consumer electronics and home appliances
industries to present new products and services directly to media and – by extension –
to consumers and trade. The event also comes at a crucial moment for brands,
manufacturers and retailers around the world, just ahead of the year’s most important
shopping season stretching from Black Friday and Singles Day to Cyber Monday,
Christmas and beyond.
The concept for IFA 2020 was developed in close collaboration with public health
authorities in Germany to ensure the health and safety of all participants. The
organizers will make sure that social distancing, careful crowd control and other
effective public hygiene measures are all in place.
As a result, IFA 2020 will not be open to the public, but run as an invitation-only event.
This year’s IFA will effectively be run as four stand-alone events, with not more than
1,000 attendees for each event per day. While the organizers hope that the overall
public health situation will improve between now and September, they have decided to
err on the side of caution and meet the strictest safety standards possible.
The four IFA 2020 events are:
IFA Global Press Conference
IFA has moved its Global Press Conference, which usually takes place in April, to
September and turned it into this year’s Global Showcase for Innovation and
Technology.
The Global Press Conference will invite around 800 journalists covering 50+ countries to
Berlin, so brands and manufacturers will be able to show journalists their latest products
and devices.All keynotes and company press conferences will take place on just two or
three keynote stages curated by IFA. This keeps the numbers down for the on-site
production staff and ensures that the highest hygiene standards are observed both on
stage and in the seating area for media.In addition to company press conferences,
industry partners will have the chance to create smart company and brand
presentations for interviews and further talks with media representatives.For journalists,
this will be the most efficient way this year yet to cover the technology stories their
audiences are interested in; it’s their first opportunity after the beginning of the
pandemic to see all of this year’s innovation and new products all in one place, and they
can organize face-to-face interviews with the spokespeople for brands.
The opening keynote for this year’s IFA will be delivered by Cristiano Amon, the
President of Qualcomm, a company that is the undisputed global leader in mobile
connectivity.
Qualcomm’s president said he is looking forward to giving the keynote and addressing
the importance of connectivity during these unprecedented times. Mr. Amon will 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.
For this year only, IFA will combine its two innovation platforms – IFA Next and SHIFT
Mobility – for an exclusive live event for the international tech community. The event
will bring together technology start-ups and companies in the connected mobility sector,
to help them get the much-needed lifeblood of publicity and industry connections. For
innovators, disruptors, tech journalists and digital influencers interested in the cutting
edge of technology, this will be the year’s most important event to attend.
During the past three years, IFA Global Markets has grown to become Europe’s largest
sourcing show for OEMs and ODMs. Now it will be this year’s first dedicated sourcing
show in the world. The message from IFA’s industry partners has been clear: the
industry needs a sourcing show to repair and restructure its supply chains hit by the
disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every year, IFA Berlin is the most important marketplace for consumer electronics and
home appliances. In 2019, for example, brands and retailers struck deals worth more
than 4.7 billion euro during the event in Berlin.
While the pandemic will make it impossible to replicate this level of deal-making and
networking, IFA Berlin will curate the IFA Business, Retail & Meeting Lounges to give
brands and manufacturers the much-needed opportunity to meet retailers in a safe and
efficient manner ahead of the year’s all-important shopping season.
The organizers know that interest in attending IFA 2020 will far outstrip the available
places, while some people may still be subject to travel restrictions. That’s why IFA will
offer everybody virtual opportunities to be part of the IFA Berlin experience.
