Due to the ongoing global pandemic, the organisers of the annual IFA (Internationale Funkausstellung) event in Berlin has announced a modified version of the event for this year. The IFA 2020 Special Edition as it is called will be open only to invited participants and will go ahead as scheduled from September 3 to 5 in Berlin, Germany.
In addition to the physical event, organisers announced that the global tech show will be complemented with the IFA Virtual Market Place – a platform for brands unable to attend to ‘present their brands, products and innovations digitally’. Popular brands and companies listed to announce news, products and services include BSH, Qualcomm (virtual event), LG, TCL, Huawei, Haier, Hyundai, HONOR, Realme, JVC Kenwood, TP-Link, and Schneider Electric.
Registered participants will also gain access to the digital extension of the event – the IFA 2020 Xtended Space but the IFA Global Markets part has been postponed to 2021 due to the current travel restrictions faced by Asian companies. The Global Markets is IFA’s international sourcing platform for OEMS, ODMS, suppliers, component manufacturers, distributors, and retailers.
Commenting on the mode of the upcoming event, IFA Executive Director, Jens Heithecker said;
“Through discussions with our partners we learned that the demand for participating in a real physical trade show this year remains strong. However, persistent travel restrictions prevent Asian companies from joining the live event in Berlin. Under these circumstances, many had to postpone their participation in IFA Global Markets to next year. The decision to postpone this event section of IFA 2020 Special Edition to 2021 was not an easy one for us. Especially since almost 600 companies were eager to present themselves in Berlin this year. Yet we must accept that, with ongoing travel restrictions, for many of our partners it is simply impossible to plan and prepare for this year’s IFA Global Markets.”
Source: IFA
Via: The Verge
