With a rented area of around 104,000 square metres and record
participation by 1,212 exhibitors from 32 countries the IFA 2007
begins on 31 August 2007 at the Berlin Funkturm (Radio Tower). These
figures confirm the ongoing success of the IFA on the second occasion
since it became an annual event.
In addition to strong representation from the trade and industry
in the European core markets the IFA is also becoming increasingly
important as a marketing instrument for companies in Asia and North
America. "Foreign exhibitors account for more than 60 per cent of the
total, a consequence of the efforts to give the IFA a more
international dimension", according to Dr. Rainer Hecker, Chairman of
the Supervisory Board of the IFA's organisers Gesellschaft fur
Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik (gfu).
Dr. Christian Goke, Chief Operating Officer of Messe Berlin,
added: "The high overall level of international participation is one
of the hallmarks of the IFA. This year the IFA records one of the
largest international participations of recent years by exhibitors and
in particular by trade visitors. Consequently all the indications are
that this will be a successful event. We can offer the entire consumer
electronics sector ideal surroundings for business, and a highly
attractive programme of shows and entertainment for visitors."
"The success of the IFA matches that of the market for consumer
electronics products, a market that has been experiencing growth for a
number of years. Attractive and innovative products are the reason for
this", explained Dr. Hecker. At the same time the market is
experiencing more dynamic growth as new products, technologies and
possibilities are presented and introduced at an ever faster pace. In
most European countries this has resulted in encouraging expansion of
the market.
"We are certain that this welcome development of the market will
continue into the second half of the year, and the IFA will help by
providing a valuable impetus. In concrete terms we anticipate sales of
Consumer Electronics devices will increase by 5,3 per cent to 62,3
billion euros in the ten most important European countries. In Germany
Consumer Electronics growth should exceed two per cent, with a sales
volume of 23 billion euros. In 2008 we expect market expansion to be
as positive in Europe and in Germany as it was in 2007", commented Dr.
Hecker.
Messe Berlin and Gesellschaft fur Unterhaltungs- und
Kommunikationselektronik (gfu) are optimistic of exceeding last yer's
attendance figure of 225,000. Dr. Christian Goke: "We can delight
visitors to the IFA with a programme of entertainment of a kind has
not been seen before in the last decade. In the IFA Summer Garden and
on the exhibitors' many stages a total of more than 70 shows and
concerts will provide first class entertainment. Over 200 prominent
stars and future stars will be appearing at the IFA."
Intensified partnership with dealers
The leading dealers' cooperative groups and the IFA are
intensifying their traditional partnerships as a means of ensuring
that the world's leading CE trade show more accurately reflects the
interests of the cooperating dealers. These strategic partnerships are
intended to provide European dealers with a single location where they
can gain access at to the international consumer electronics sector in
its entirety. "For the gfu as the organiser of the IFA this
intensified collaboration with international dealers' cooperatives is
one of the cornerstones of this event. Together with these partners we
are continuing to develop the IFA as the industry's most important
event and venue for orders, thereby ensuring the success of all
involved. Dealers are the real VIPs of the IFA", is how Dr. Rainer
Hecker views the intensive partnership with the trade.
81 outstanding specialist events
Once again the IFA rolls out the red carpet for specialist dealers
and trade visitors. In addition to tried and tested services for trade
visitors the IFA will also feature leading figures from the industry
and a total of 81 outstanding specialist events.
The IFA International Keynotes in particular will be the focus of
attention for the media and trade visitors from all over the world.
Each morning and afternoon for three days, from 31 August to 2
September, leading managers from the industry will be providing
in-depth details and investigating current issues, topics and trends
from many different areas of consumer electronics. They will also be
presenting their strategies for the future on digital markets. IFA
International Keynotes 2007 will feature the high ranking executives
Rudy Provoost, Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer
Philips Consumer Electronics; Norio Niwa, Executive Vice President
Seiko Epson Corporation; Guerrino De Luca, President and Chief
Executive Officer Logitech; George Bailey, General Manager, IBM Global
Electronics Industry; Andreas Westhoff, Chief Sales Officer NAVIGON
AG.
medienpoilitk@IFA and serviceforum@IFA
Media policy issues have traditionally occupied a place at the
IFA. The specialist forum medienpolitik@IFA provides a venue this year
for media experts from all over Germany to discuss the subject of
"Competition between Infrastructures - Internet and Traditional
Media". Among the gests attending this meeting will be Kurt Beck,
State Premier of Rheinland-Pfalz and Chairman of the States'
Broadcasting Commission. This year Minister President Beck is again
acting as patron of our entire series of events under the heading of
"medienpolitik@IFA", consisting of three public round table meetings
in Hall 26, on 31 August, and on 3 and 4 September, taking place each
day from 2 to 3 p.m.
serviceforum@IFA for the second time in 2007
For traditional specialist dealers, discounters, full-range
stockists or other outlets - every supplier knows that they cannot
afford to have dissatisfied customers. But service structures are
changing, presenting new challenges each day to dealers and the
industry. The serviceforum@IFA is aimed primarily at decision-makers
from the ranks of specialist dealers and the craft trades, as well as
at the representatives of industry and the media. This round table
discussion takes place from 11 a.m. to 12 midday on 2 September in
Hall 26.
IFA restructured
The IFA 2007 has undergone restructuring in order to provide an
up-to-date picture of the dynamic consumer electronics market, to
reflect the new main themes of this sector and to help customers to
find their way around more easily.
This new concept also takes into account the customers' viewpoint.
A poll of visitors to the IFA revealed that customers have a pragmatic
approach regarding a visit to the IFA. They first ask the question:
what content do customers want to use? This can be divided into public
content - such as YouTube, which is accessible to all, and private -
for example digital photos which they create themselves. This is
followed by questions concerning the type of equipment which they use
to receive the content, and with which they can process it. Such vital
questions have now been accorded their own place in the IFA layout:
IFA Home Entertainment, IFA Audio Entertainment, IFA My Media, IFA
Public Media, IFA Communication and IFA Technology & Components.
Technical trends at the IFA
High definition quality, simple controls and unrestricted
mobility, these are the main product trends at the IFA 2007. Always at
the heart of this year's innovations is the increasing adoption of
high definition media. Consequently a growing number of 2007
television sets bear the "Full HD" symbol of quality, indicating that
they can offer the best possible levels of high definition with the
full 1080 lines. Substantial qualitative improvements are also
promised by the latest generation of picture processing equipment: An
increasing number of them use the 100 hertz technology, already known
from the analogue era, which enables them to display movement in a
natural and flowing way on the screen. 24p is another current
technical abbreviation, indicating the ability of equipment to show
the content from Blu-ray or HD-DVD discs with maximum precision on the
screen.
In addition to technology that provides sharp, clear pictures with
a clean contrast, ease of operation is becoming ever more important
too. The top-of-the-range television sets at the IFA 2007 come ready
equipped with HDTV receivers and hard drives for time-delay viewing.
For perfect pictures that recreate that Hollywood feeling in the
living room the second generation of players can handle Blu-ray discs
and HD-DVDs. Not only is there an unprecedented range of different
models, there is also a much wider choice of interfaces and formats
for reproducing images and sound. One solution that will certainly
stand the test of time: a second model is now on show at the IFA that
can play back both of these new media formats.
For the demanding home movie maker high definition technology has
become more or less essential. The IFA 2007 is presenting HD
camcorders from virtually every major manufacturer in a range and
diversity never before seen at a trade show. The new HD models record
using every conceivable storage medium, from blank DVDs to cassettes
and hard drives and chip cards. And one item is making its world
debut: the first model capable of recording high definition images
onto an eight centimetre Blu-ray disc.
In the world of outstanding sound quality the evolution of high
definition is setting new standards. For the first time the latest AV
receivers, for example, are now able to decode the new high
definition, loss-free multi-channel sound formats offered by the
Blu-ray disc and HD-DVD. This enables them to carry surround-sound
from up to eight channels to the loudspeakers with the same degree of
precision as was achieved in the studio with the original recording.
This makes home cinema systems an even more attractive proposition for
digital concerts too.
Mobility is the other important factor driving digital innovation,
and it is featured on virtually every stand at the IFA 2007. Mobile
communication, information and entertainment, they are all central
components of the digital lifestyle, which the IFA displays more
comprehensively than any other trade show. The massive public interest
in sat-nav equipment is especially impressive. This year these digital
route-finders include even more realistic map displays, attractive
tourist information and many supplementary multimedia functions to
delight visitors to the IFA. The IFA 2007 can also claim a world first
in the field of mobile televisions: the Science and Technology Forum
(TWF) in Hall 5.3 is showing how mobile phones and other mobile
terminals will in future be able to receive TV signals and multimedia
content via a combination of satellite transmissions and terrestrial
distribution.
Another innovative method of distributing digital media content is
already a commercial reality, and of course can be examined in-depth
at the IFA: television over internet protocol, or IPTV for short.
Already IPTV services are combining many different functions:
Television, online videotheques, video recording, electronic programme
guides, the internet and communication by voice and picture, a typical
example of the convergence taking place in the new digital media
world.
