This news has already been released earlier but with the finished CES 2006 and comming ISE 2006 I thought it was a good moment to remind you of yet another important Consumer Electronics Show in Europe the IFA 2006. The dates of the upcoming IFA, the world’s leading consumer electronics event, are 1 to 6 September 2006, the customary start to the CE retail trade season.

In future Berlin can look forward to the IFA and to hosting a world-class trade show every year. Encouraged by a dynamic surge in Europe’s CE market, European sales of 100 billion euros and double-digit growth, as well as outstanding results at the IFA 2005, the event’s organisers Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik (gfu) and Messe Berlin have decided to expand the IFA concept. Both the supervisory board and the directors of the gfu have unanimously decided to hold the IFA every year, a move which follows a recommendation by the directors of the Consumer Electronics Trade Association, part of the industry organisation ZVEI, as well as by leading exhibitors, a majority of whom favour an annual event.

Decisive factors which have influenced this decision are fundamental changes in the CE landscape, brought about by digitisation, and convergence of products, networks and content. The pace of innovation in the CE industry and in IT and telecommunications is speeding up, and increasingly these sectors are converging. As the initial highlight of the retail season the IFA is the most important trade fair for doing business, and in future will be able to take on the role occupied by several minor events. Consumers too are interested in learning about new products at ever shorter intervals. The media will have an important event to talk about every year, and similar trade fairs at international level are also held on an annual basis.

The fact that visitors to the IFA expressed high satisfaction with this year’s event is proof of its emotional appeal and of being able to live the brand experience. The vast majority of the 250,000 visitors were fascinated by the products on show in each segment of CE, IT and telecommunications.

1,202 exhibitors from 40 countries represented a record attendance at this year’s IFA. Business in excess of 2.5 billion euros, participation by top-level industry decision-makers from Germany and around the world, 50 per cent of all trade visitors from abroad, these were the outstanding quality features of this year’s event. During the six-day show around 1,000 new items and improved products were on display.

Source: IFA - Berlin

Technorati Tags: CES 2006, ISE 2006, IFA 2006