FEEDBACK FROM SHOWFLOOR
FEEDBACK FROM SHOWFLOOR LANCEY ENERGY STORAGE Lancey Energy Storage made their IFA debut in 2019, bringing the first smart, connected, battery-powered cleanenergy heater to the “Edge of Innovation” think tank, IFA NEXT. Set with the aim of “democratising” energy storage with a smart radiator that embeds a lithium battery and an energy management system that feeds in power from solar PV cells in the home, for example, or off-peak green energy from the grid. Raphaël Meyer, CEO and founder, Lancey & Marie Poulle, Director of Marketing and Communication, Lancey And according to Lancey CEO and founder Raphaël Meyer, heating emits more greenhouse gases than transport in Europe, making the Lancey battery heater a potentially integral part of the transition to clean energy. Germany and the UK, leading adopters of renewable energy, offer key growth potential for Lancey, hence the company’s presence at IFA, Meyer told IFA International. “We’re very satisfied,” he said at the show alongside Marie Poulle, Lancey’s Director of Marketing and Communication. “We have met with distributors, suppliers, manufacturers, and journalists,” Meyer added, saying he hopes to consolidate these contacts in the coming weeks. The Grenoble-based French startup also noted the significance of the “consumer-oriented” nature of the IFA show Holland-based DesignNest is a onestop platform for designers to launch their products in stores worldwide. It helps to fund, engineer, manufacture, market and distribute innovative tech - and fight copycats. An affiliate of the Allocacoc tech gadget brand already established at IFA for three years, DesignNest debuted its coinnovations among upcoming brands at IFA Next in 2019. Among the fruits of its “world’s first and only end-to-end product design platform” is a coin-operated high-design lamp conceived by a Colombian designer that is pitched at children. “We helped him from the beginning making the product and developing the pricing strategy to producing the product and now we are here selling it,” said Jose Genoves, Product Manager at DesignNest. DESIGN NEST: END-TO-END PRODUCT DESIGN He told IFA International that IFA NEXT had been an opportunity to meet with design associations from several countries and to initiate collaborations with design institutions like the Technical University of Berlin. DesignNest has also been able to offer startups with existing products at IFA NEXT help with sales and distribution. “We really want to make design universal and affordable for everybody,” said Genoves Jose Genoves Product Manager, DesignNest NEXT-GEN BLOCKCHAIN FROM PUNDI X Singaporean startup Pundi X debuted at IFA with a showcase of next generation blockchain devices and the response was positive. “We have made some good connections with software companies, phone companies and distributors,” Peko Wan, Pundi X Vice-President, told IFA International about interest in its unique point-of-sale device, the XPOS, that seamlessly facilitates transactions with crypto-currencies across borders, and the BOB blockchain smartphone. Peko Wan Vice-President, Pundi X But on the whole, the emerging and relatively untried technology meant that many IFA visitors still had “to be educated about blockchain”, said Wan. According to Wa, several potential clients drove hours across Europe for the rare chance to see the leading edge blockchain devices in action. “We even had a buyer who came to our booth and asked what is this, I want to buy it now,” Wan said. The fact that the blockchain phone - which ensures secure and decentralised data transmission - and XPOS devices could be tested by IFA visitors for the first time helped take some of the mystery out of the upcoming “crypto” technology which, judging by the success of Bitcoin, has massive growth potential 34
FEEDBACK FROM SHOWFLOOR MEDISANA’S MASSAGE MESSAGE DRAWS CROWDS Ulrich Schulze Althoff Chief Digital Officer, Medisana Medisana has established a leading position in the home health market, developing products and services that improve mobility, flexibility, independence and safety. It’s a message that was wellreceived by IFA visitors, according to the company’s Chief Digital Officer Ulrich Schulze Althoff: “Home healthcare is increasingly relevant for people visiting, and our partners.” Particularly popular with buyers and visitors have been Medisana’s massage products, said Althoff: “We’ve been driving that area very strongly and it has attracted a lot of interest here.” Another product that created a buzz was its home health robot “which is aimed at assisting people living alone.” Key IFA themes, said Althoff, were “robotics, AI and 5G. The message is that consumers don’t need to know how the tech works, they just need to see how it can help them in their lives.” In terms of IFA’s value, he said: “It is our platform to present the company to customers and end users – the robot, our new logo, our health app, which has one million users. It’s good for buyers to see our momentum; and for us to get consumer feedback” Launched in 2016, Conrad Connect now operates one of the fastest-growing smart living platforms in the world, enabling users to interconnect smart devices, apps and services from different brands on a single platform. At IFA Berlin, the company focused on promoting areas such as Smart Energy Management, Smart Home Automation and Smart Health and Fitness, as well as introducing its Conrad Connect Business Solutions. Head of Marketing Giorgi Jashiashvili said: “IFA gave us the right audience. It was the right place to be.” According to Jashiashvili, the main traffic at the weekend CONRAD CONNECT HAILS AMAZING FEEDBACK was general show visitors while Monday and Tuesday was more about talking to trade partners. “We put a lot of energy into showcasing our b2b solutions and explaining how partners could grow with us. We’re really happy with potential partners we met at IFA. It is important for platforms like Conrad Connect to get critical mass – and we had the right audience across the show” Giorgi Jashiashvili Head of Marketing, Conrad Connect IFA FIRST-TIMER SAFERA CONNECTS WITH PARTNERS Finnish company Safera was at IFA for the first time as an exhibitor and CEO/ co-founder Mikko Reinikainen couldn’t be happier. “I have been visiting for five years and dreaming of the day we would exhibit here. All of the major players are in one place.” Safera was at IFA to promote Safera Sense, which it describes as the first “complete smart cooking sensor”. Mikko Reinikainen CEO/Co-Founder, Safera Compatible with smart home systems including Google Home and Amazon Alexa, Safera Sense is designed to help users avoid cooking fires and monitor air quality. While currently focused on the kitchen, the tech could be rolled out into other scenarios. “We have had a lot of interest from major companies,” said Reinikainen. “I said I would be happy if we managed to connect with one global player but by the end of the show it was more like ten.” Safera organised some meetings ahead of IFA, “but a big advantage was being able to demonstrate the technology. We brought a lot of demonstrators because there is nothing like being able to experience a new solution with your own eyes” www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Monday 23 September 2019 35
