NEWS © Messe Berlin
NEWS © Messe Berlin GmbH Jens Heithecker Senior Vice President Messe Berlin Group, IFA Executive Director Popping at the Seams! IFA outgrows its traditional space – in more ways than one The world’s premier consumer lifestyle show this year goes beyond its traditional boundaries – in global terms – and also locally. We asked IFA director Jens Heithecker to explain… We are continuing our growth story – and that’s astonishing enough on its own if you see the developments in the markets, where most companies are under increasing pressure from the competition. This year, I believe we will see more innovations at IFA than ever before. That’s the reason we continue to grow. This year IFA for the first time has a “second site”. Please tell us more about that. The traditional exhibition grounds have been sold out for many years, and even though we install temporary halls, even that capacity is sold out, and the line of companies wanting to exhibit keeps growing. We felt these companies could innovate and bring interesting products to IFA as well, so we have opened an additional show ground in the city. It’s only 20 minutes by shuttle bus or subway from our main exhibition ground, so it’s very convenient. The main difference is that it is only for trade visitors and the media – not for the general public, and the second difference is that it is only open for four days – from Saturday until Tuesday. It is fully concentrating on OEM and ODM products as an important part of the value chain for manufacturers in the market. In April this year, your organisation successfully carried out the first edition of CE China, coupled with IFA’s Global Press Conference in Hong Kong and Shenzhen. What feedback have you had from these? These are two different stories – IFA in Berlin and CE China – but with the same result: success! We see that the Chinese market will be one of the most important in the future for premium products and brand products, and we see that the rising middle class in Asia in the upcoming years will be the most important potential market for our exhibitors. This year we made the first steps in China, and we integrated similar concepts that work so successfully at IFA. That is to say that we integrated media and retailers in a very successful way. The main retailers in China are our partners and even we were surprised by the success of the show – especially the reaction of the Chinese media. It was truly overwhelming, and it’s the best basis I could imagine for creating another event with the relevance of IFA for another market. Bringing 380 international journalists to Hong Kong and Shenzhen – that was a big new challenge as well… It was indeed! Since 2006 we have been organising the IFA Global Press Conference, meaning we are quite well experienced in this. This is the first time we have done it outside of Europe. In itself, that’s not such a big challenge, but this time we also organised it in two cities in two different political territories. We had to manage a lot of challenges, such as the border controls for such a big group of journalists coming from Hong Kong into Mainland China… and it wasn’t easy. But we did it successfully, and I can say that the journalists were not only impressed by Hong Kong; they were also impressed by Shenzhen – the city at the heart of the electronics industry in China – named by some as that country’s “Silicon Valley”. It was a huge success – as it was essential for us to show the world how we create a new show. Next year, it will be different, as we will separately invite journalists to our Global Press Conference and CE China. The media representatives now know what to expect from CE China and whether or not it makes sense for them to attend the show in addition to the press conference THIS YEAR, I BELIEVE WE WILL SEE MORE INNOVATIONS AT IFA THAN EVER BEFORE. 4
NEWS The Quest for Seamless Living gfu Insights 2016 focuses on digital lifestyles The IFA Innovations Media Briefing 2016 kicked off July 5 in Berlin with an “Insights and Trends” briefing from German consumer electronics peak body and IFA organiser, gfu. The good news to start was the fact that IFA 2016 will have more exhibitors than ever. With digital lifestyles, smart homes and connected home and healthcare appliances being some of the key themes in 2016, many new exhibitors will be found in the Smart Home zone in hall 6.2. gfu chairman, Hans-Joachim Kamp opened the media briefing, outlining the results of a gfu-commissioned report on “the complex consumer” which looked at ways to inspire contemporary customers. The report noted how digitisation and networking have increased rapidly among private consumers through apps on smartphones or tablet devices. There was also good news for TV, with exponential growth in the smart TV market in Europe, and increasing demand for larger screen sizes. Kamp noted that 74% of TVs in Europe are now connected to the internet, while 31% of households in Germany have an active smart TV. In a presentation titled ‘If the Refrigerator Worked Itself - Networking Trends Today and Tomorrow’, Roland Hagenbucher, CEO Siemens Home Appliances GmbH, discussed the growing interconnectivity of home appliances. “The demand for networked home appliances is increasing, but still we are at the beginning of this promising development,” he said. “Wide consumer acceptance” will require that connected appliances work within an ecosystem that is facilitated via the “consumer internet of things”, he added. From networked fridges, audio and wearables to connected cars and smart homes, endless products are being integrated through the “digital transformation”. Noting that smartphones now have have 71% penetration in the EU, Hagenbucher further stated that the networked future will also be driven by growth in “Always On” technology that offers a constant connection to the internet. Smart devices are the portal through which consumers can enjoy the “seamless integration” of appliances via one application. Accordingly, the Siemens Home Connect App is the foundation of the brand’s connected product range. The app allows users to manage all their Wi- Fi enabled Siemens home appliances with one easy-to-use interface, and is the foundation of what Siemens calls the “Future Vision of Seamless Living”. THE DEMAND FOR NETWORKED HOME APPLIANCES IS INCREASING, BUT STILL WE ARE AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROMISING DEVELOPMENT Hagenbucher’s connected home message was backed by Heiko Neundörfer, CEO of Forum HiFi, a six-time winner of the German home cinema award. Neundörfer introduced Forum HiFi’s integrated smart cinema where all units can also be operated from a single control app. Referring to a model smart home in Musterhaus, Germany, Neundörfer described how appliances throughout the home are connected in a way that makes the most of our digital lifestyles. Meanwhile, Professor Britta Böckmann from Dortmund Technical College, devoted her contribution to the development of digitised health services. The digital transformation of healthcare is marked by a growing international market for personal health management systems that can be accessed and controlled from mobile devices. “Modern medicine is mobile and reaches people at home with devices that are an active partner,” said Böckmann. “The patient has a right to timely health care and thus a right to digitisation,” she added. With Apple, Google and IBM Watson investing heavily in digital health, the sky’s the limit for a rising consumer electronics market with endless horizons Hans-Joachim Kamp Chairman, gfu www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 29 th August 2016 5
