IFA technology fair returns for 1st large-scale event since 2019
Berlin, Sep 2 (EFE).- The IFA Berlin, the largest technology fair in Europe, opened its doors Friday with a focus on connectivity, sustainability and smart living.
It is the first time the fair will be held without any pandemic restrictions, with last year’s event canceled and the previous year’s trimmed down due to Covid.
Under the title “Ready, Steady, Show”, the leading consumer and home electronics brands return to “the first large-scale IFA since 2019”, after nearly three years of “high-speed digital transformation that changed how we work, live and play,” the organization said in a statement.
Sara Warneke, CEO of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics, organizer of the IFA, pointed out during the opening press conference on Wednesday that the last two years have been characterized by a “pandemic-related boom, accompanied by exceptional growth” of 17% in 2021 compared to 2019.
With the “stay-at-home” slogan that came to define lockdown life, consumers have become more home-oriented, and entertainment, technical possibilities for working and learning at home, as well as cooking and baking devices, were in particularly high demand, she said.
Although this growth phase has ended and global markets are normalizing or slowing in all sectors, there are signs that sales of home appliances have the potential to continue growing, she continued.
As such, consumers are looking for products with greater energy efficiency, lifespan and smart connectivity in response to rising energy costs and growing environmental awareness.
Despite pandemic restrictions still in force in some parts of the world, IFA will this year feature more than 1,100 manufacturers and brands from 46 countries, spread over an area of 151,000 square meters.
There will still be notable absences, such as Philips and Sony, which have not reserved any exhibition space. EFE
egw/ks/jt
