Retail Observer

fully accessible until just before IFA 2021. "The IFA 2020 Special Edition showed us the impressive power of innovation. On a deeper level, it also showed us that the world needs these face-to-face meetings between industry, retail, consumers and media, and it is IFA that facilitated these crucial connections, despite the limitations imposed by the pandemic," said Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin. Jens Heithecker, executive director of IFA Berlin, added: "The IFA 2020 Special Edition sent an important signal: 'tech is back,' and the recovery and rebuilding of the industry starts here and now. Of course, we had to keep the numbers at this year's IFA low, but it demonstrated the keen interest of everybody to meet in real life, and it sets us on the right track for a strong, full-scale IFA 2021." Kai Hillebrandt, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH: "First and foremost I would like to thank our partner Messe Berlin for putting together the concept of an IFA 2020 Special Edition, and then making it happen. This was a bold move, but it has been rewarded with the event's success. The IFA 2020 Special Edition was the first hybrid event in our industry and has set the standard. It brought people together, both in front of the screens and in person on the exhibition grounds in Berlin. IFA had a very special role to play this year and fulfilled it perfectly. For the global markets, IFA provided important impulses at the right time in the run-up to the highest-turnover period as an innovation platform with numerous new product presentations. But as important as virtual components are in pandemic times, they never can replace human contact. Our goal for IFA 2021 will be to combine the traditional strengths of IFA – bringing together many innovations with even more people in one place – with the experiences of IFA 2020 Special Edition to create a robust future format." WINNERS OF IFA PRODUCT TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION AWARD DISCLOSED 19 cutting-edge products are awarded with the IFA Product Technology Innovation Award. CE China congratulates all gold award winners on their innovations. Jens Heithecker, IFA executive director and chairman of CE China, announced at the IFA 2020 Special Edition in Berlin the prizewinners of this year's IFA Product Technology Innovation Award hosted by IDG Asia. Nineteen innovative products from leading consumer electronic brands like HONOR, Midea, Panasonic, Samsung and Siemens stood out from international contestants.

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