The 50th edition of IFA kicked off the next wave in innovation by breaking nearly every record ever set by the world’s largest consumer electronics and home appliances tradeshow. IFA took place 3-8 September at the Berlin Exhibition Site.
IFA marked its long history of innovation by looking forward to what comes next in the closing keynote delivered by Dr. Eric Schmidt, chairman of the board and CEO of Google.
As he previewed tools for Android-powered smartphones that translate conversations from one language to another as you speak, Schmidt said, "the future is now," and the Internet will soon deliver information to four billion people, "not just the elite," via smartphones.
"That echoed the 1930 keynote by Albert Einstein," said Jens Heithecker, executive director of IFA. "Einstein was talking about radio, the new technology of the time. He said ‘technology enables communication and communication connects people.’"
Breaking Records
1,423 exhibitors from 75 countries launched new consumer electronics and home appliance products – up 22 percent from 2009. Display space increased 11 percent to 134,000 square meters.
While 110,000 consumers explored the exhibit aisles for everything from 3D TVs and tablet computers to e-readers and mobile apps, washing machines to solar arrays, smart home technologies to electric vehicles of the future, 125,000 retailers, distributors, buyers and trade visitors executed €3.5 billion Euro ($4.55 USD) in business orders, exceeding last year’s figures by 9 percent.
At 235,000 visitors, overall attendance was up five percent, while trade visitors notched an eight percent gain – including 29,000 international buyers and retailers, up 21 percent from 2009.
Press attendance spiked to 6,084, including 1,877 international journalists from 75 countries – up 9 percent.
"The 50th edition of IFA exceeded all expectations and delivers new optimism to the industry and the global economy," said Heithecker. "This was a giant step forward in the expansion and evolution of IFA into the global platform for innovation, business, the industry and the consumer."
