Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM DECEMBER 2024 10 With visitor numbers up 18% over last year, IFA saw a surge in visitors particularly from the U.S., Italy, France, Poland, Korea, and the UK. With halls fully booked, IFA Berlin hosted more than 1,800 exhibitors, with especially strong growth in the sectors of Smart Home, Communication & Connectivity, Computing & Gaming, Audio, Photo, Video and Content Creation, and Digital Health. More than 200 startups crowded into the IFA NEXT innovation hub, showcasing, among other innovative devices, a flying car, cognitive robots, and AI-powered drones. A large number of startups came from South Korea, this year's IFA NEXT Innovation Partner Country for 2024. IFA 100 also saw the return of the famous Sommergarten, which was packed for performances from international music legends like Bryan Adams, Faithless, and some of Germany's top hip-hop artists curated by 6PM – which attracted the GenZ demographic in huge numbers. A live recording of Germany's popular Fest and Flauschig podcasts also saw thousands of fans flock to the Sommergarten. IFA Berlin presented itself to visitors with a new look and feel – a rebrand that combined bold and fresh colors with the traditional "Funk Otto" logo. The importance of IFA as a platform for exhibitors and retailers in the tech sector was demonstrated once more, reflected in the large numbers of visitors, especially trade visitors, media representatives, and increasingly, visitors from politics – but above all in the strength of broad public interest. Media attendance was up 43%, while the number of tech bloggers and influencers grew 300%. Like every year, IFA was a showcase of the near- future in the technology industry. There was a broad range of real-life implementations of the latest generation of Artificial Intelligence tools. Sustainability was another big topic at booths across the fairgrounds, with companies showing how they offer more sustainable devices, and how their products and services can help consumers live more sustainable lives. Digital Health was also prominent, as consumers seek ways for technology to help them stay healthy. Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Berlin Management GmbH, said, "What a wonderful 100th birthday party for IFA, and what an amazing year for the world's leading technology trade fair. We are really grateful to our industry, the trade visitors, the public, and all the media who came to Berlin and truly made IFA 100 a year and an event to remember. We are gratified by the huge number of commitments already received from our exhibitors to participate at IFA 2025." Dr. Sara Warneke, managing director of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH which owns the IFA brand, said, "IFA 100 has exceeded all our expectations. We can see that the changed concept of IFA is working, in no small part due to the fact that young media professionals and content creators in particular were able to inspire their generation for IFA. The feedback from our partners, exhibitors, the retail industry, and of course all the visitors is unanimous. IFA 100 has been a huge success for them, for their businesses, and for our industry. This year IFA has proven to be truly the platform for the next 100 years." IFA 2025 will take place September 5 - 9 in Berlin. RO IFA 100 TH ANNIVERSARY

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