From September 3rd through to 5th, IFA, the annual exhibition of consumer electronics, domestic appliances and, will return for its 2020 edition, albeit in different circumstances than it has been organized under before.
Cognizant of the times that we are living in, the organizers of IFA have put in place measures that will ensure the safety of those that get a chance to attend.
For a start, much as IFA 2020 will be “in-person”, there will be limitations.
The event, which has been condensed into 3 days, will be invite-only.
Even then, they’ve made provisions to stream happenings in Berlin to the world. Given that the spread of the pandemic early in the year resulted in lots of tech conferences and trade shows being cancelled, a number of product launches were put on hold. That means there might be quite a lot to see in Berlin come September to anticipate a lot of public attention.
“The organizers know that interest in attending IFA 2020 will far outstrip the available places, while some people may still be subject to travel restrictions. That’s why IFA will offer everybody virtual opportunities to be part of the IFA Berlin experience,” the organizers note in a press statement.
“The concept for IFA 2020 was developed in close collaboration with public health authorities in Germany to ensure the health and safety of all participants. The organizers will make sure that social distancing, careful crowd control and other effective public hygiene measures are all in place,” the organizers further note.
Referred to as “IFA 2020 Special Edition”, IFA 2020 will comprise four separate events, with no more than 1,000 visitors per event per day so as to assure the safety of the attendees as well as comply with local public health regulations – gatherings of over 5,000 people remain banned in the city of Berlin.
The four separate events are:
- The annual IFA Global Press Conference, which has traditionally been held in April, months before the main show in Berlin but which, this year, had to be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- The IFA Global Markets – IFA’s sourcing show for OEMs and ODMs (equipment makers, designers and manufacturers), will have the added burden of being the only one of its kind to take place in the entire world this year and thus will play a critical role as the tech industry “needs a sourcing show to repair and restructure its supply chains hit by the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
- IFA Business, Retail and Meeting Lounges – where brands and manufacturers will be able to meet retailers ahead of what is likely to be “a fresh start” in 2021 given the happenings of 2020 as well as the 2020 holiday shopping season.
- IFA Next + IFA Shift Mobility – the two event platforms, announced in 2017 and 2018 respectively, will be merging this year to reach their target audience, the world’s innovators, disruptors and influencers, virtually as while presenting what attendees, startups and companies in the automotive industry, will be showcasing.
Here’s to hoping all will be well with the world by then.
