Rejuvenated concept

IFA turns 100: a leading technology trade fair in transition

Archive image: LG Electronics invited visitors to try out new OLED gaming monitors at IFA 2023. This year there will be even more programs for computer gamers.

(Bild: AFP/APA/John MACDOUGALL)

Younger, more international, hipper - the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) in Berlin, the leading trade fair for consumer electronics and household appliances, wants to shake off the dust of past trade fair decades for its 100th birthday. 

"I believe that we have clearly managed to improve, refine and adapt our brand image and usher in the start of a new era," said Leif Lindner. He is the head of the IFA management company, which has been organizing the technology showcase since 2023.

This year, it runs from September 6 to 10 in Berlin. The new era starts with the name. The three letters once stood for Internationale Funkausstellung. "The name no longer describes what the IFA actually is," emphasized Lindner.

It's no longer just about radio technology
At the latest since the end of the 2000s, when the household appliances area was added to the exhibition space, the name Funkausstellung no longer reflects the entire spectrum of the trade fair. The letters are therefore to be given a new meaning: "IFA now stands for innovation for all."

Visitors should also no longer perceive IFA as a pure electronics show. "It is more, it is also a cultural event," said Lindner. The trade fair must become even more of a "place to be". "People who haven't been to IFA need to feel like they've missed something."

That is why the new organizer company is placing a special focus on the cultural supporting program. On Thursday, Canadian rock musician Bryan Adams will open the trade fair with music. A performance by podcasters and musicians Olli Schulz and Jan Böhmermann is also planned.

Separate festival day for young visitors
The fashion and music label 6PM will also be targeting young visitors in particular with its own festival day on Friday. The expansion of the games area at the trade fair also has this goal. "The average age at IFA was very high. That was one of the warning signals for us," said Lindner. "We have to get back to the younger target group."

We have to get back to the younger target group.

IFA-Chef Leif Lindner

At its core, however, IFA remains a trade fair for technology enthusiasts. Lindner emphasized that AI, i.e. artificial intelligence, is also the topic of the hour in the field of consumer electronics and household appliances. Whether in the household, during sport or with a view to their own health: people are using corresponding products in all areas of life. Numerous corresponding innovations can be seen at IFA.

1800 exhibitors and more than 180,000 visitors
Around 1,800 exhibitors and more than 180,000 visitors are expected - the same figure as last year. According to the organizers, slightly more than half (53%) of these visitors will come from abroad in 2023. Lindner also wants to increase this rate with the new image of IFA.

The IFA management company is a joint venture founded in 2022 by GFU Consumer & Home Electronics and the event company Clarion. Messe Berlin is now only the lessor of the halls. A corresponding ten-year contract was signed at the end of 2022 and has been in force since September 2023. IFA was founded in Berlin in 1924.

On the 100th anniversary of the trade fair, the situation in the industry remains difficult. The consumer electronics market in Germany recorded a sales volume of around 20.9 billion euros in the first half of 2024, according to the IFA organizers. "This corresponds to a decline of 2.6 percent compared to the same period last year."

Following a sharp rise in sales of electronic products and household appliances during the coronavirus crisis, demand has been falling again since 2023, said Sara Warneke, Managing Director of GFU Consumer & Home Electronics. The company owns the brand rights to IFA.

On the one hand, consumers are now increasingly looking for other products again, she explained. But the sluggish housing construction is also having an impact on the market, because with fewer homes, fewer entertainment and electrical items are being bought.