Conference & Events
Conference & Events Preview IFA 2014 International Keynotes THE WORLD’S DECISION MAKERS OF THE CONSUMER ELECTRONICS, HOME APPLIANCES AND RELATED BRANCHES ARE INVITED TO SHARE THEIR VISIONS WITH EXHIBITORS, TRADE VISITORS, VIPS AND JOURNALISTS OF IFA. THE LINE-UP OF IFA INTERNATIONAL KEYNOTES DELIVERS INSIGHTS INTO AND FORECASTS FOR ALL RELEVANT SECTORS SUCH AS LIFESTYLE, TELECOMMUNICATION & INFRASTRUCTURE, TV & ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS HOME APPLIANCES. TOP EXECUTIVES ILLUSTRATE WHAT THE FUTURE HAS IN STORE. ACCESS Exhibitors, Trade Visitors, Press and VIPs ENTRY 15 min. prior to start VIPs and Press: 30 min. prior to start LOCATION CityCube Berlin, Hall A, Level 1 Matt Rogers Founder and VP of Engineering, Nest Labs Inc. Saturday 6 th September – 10:30 a.m. In 2010, together with Tony Fadell, Matt Rogers set up Nest Labs, which in January 2014 was sold to Google Inc. for .2 billion. Matt was responsible for iPod software development at Apple, from concept to production. He is passionate about mobile products, loves team building and rapid productization. A visionary - what will he develop next? Dr. Andreas Sennheiser & Daniel Sennheiser CEO´s, Sennheiser Electronics Saturday 6 th September – 2:00 p.m. An insight into the history and future of this family-run company, which was established 75 years ago, is provided by Daniel and Andreas Sennheiser, CEOs of Sennheiser Electronic GmbH & Co KG. The company maintains a culture of innovation that has always ensured Sennheiser’s position as a market leader. Sennheiser has repeatedly demonstrated its innovative capabilities in particular with wireless audio systems and highend audio products.
Trade Talk Exploiting the Strengths of Conventional Retail Europe’s biggest electronics retailer innovates - leveraging floor space to demonstrate smart living concepts Klaus-Peter Voigt has been chief procurement officer (CPO) and a member of the management board of Media-Saturn-Holding GmbH since July 2013. From 1989 to 2008, he held a variety of management positions at Media- Saturn, the last being deputy chairman of the holding company. As a specialist in wholesale and foreign trade, Mr Voigt has a record of professional experience in consumer electronics retailing stretching back over 25 years. We asked him what he sees as being the "stars" of the holiday season in his stores Overall trends will be mobility, lifestyle, healthcare and increasingly also simply the fun that can be had with technical gadgets. In this context, innovations in the wearables and smart watch categories in particular will play an even larger role. On the other hand, tablets and smartphones will continue to be the key drivers in the industry. Focus will of course also be placed on multi-room systems, i.e. wireless audio systems, as well as innovative gadgets such as every variety of home robots. So what is the real task of your purchasing teams at IFA? Our international procurement teams are first and foremost at IFA as trend scouts, gaining a broad overview of what's new and deciding what we will offer our customers in the Media Markt and Saturn stores and online shops. After all, IFA is one of our most important trade fairs in terms of orders. They of course also use the trade fair to exchange information with existing and potential suppliers, meet with strategic partners and coordinate operations. The connected world in general and smart homes in particular involve all product groups – from washing machines to multi-room systems right through to wearables The smart/connected home is a big trend. How can you demonstrate this in your stores? The connected world in general and smart homes in particular involve all product groups – from washing machines to multi-room systems right through to wearables. Our conventional stores offer the ideal platform for presenting this type of networking in an exciting and easily-understood manner. We are therefore presenting the connected world in separate areas at an increasing number of stores – both as the brand worlds of individual manufacturers and across different manufacturers according to topic. We enable customers to explore the various opportunities offered by the connected world by allowing them to try things out and providing them with a trained sales team that can offer them expert advice. This is where we are able to fully exploit the strengths of conventional retailing. How do you see attitudes changing towards new source markets, such as branded products from China? This is where a total shift is taking place and earlier reservations regarding products from these countries have virtually disappeared. Due, among other things, to their manufacturing strength and their technology and design know-how, manufacturers from Korea and China in particular are closing the gap and are on their way to the top. They will continue to change the market even more radically in the future. Another big change this year is the true arrival of the mobile world at IFA thanks to the partnership with CTIA Super Mobility Week - showing the willingness of IFA to bring these products to the fore. How do you see mobile devices today? Mobile end devices like smartphones and tablets should more than ever before be regarded as a higherlevel consumer electronics technology. They are not only a driving force behind mobility in our everyday and professional lives, but as the control center of a connected home for example, also serve as an interface across all product groups. And last but not least, mobile devices themselves have encouraged innovations such as, for example, “appcessories”, i.e. gadgets that can be controlled by a tablet or smartphone. Klaus-Peter Voigt CPO Media-Saturn- Holding GmbH You mentioned in the past that buyers from all your different geographic zones come to IFA every year. What categories are they looking at? Is it important that they get the broadest cross section of manufacturers possible? How do they leverage IFA? They use it as a platform to obtain a holistic overview across all product categories. It is essential that they find a wide range of international manufacturers and product segments at IFA. In addition, IFA always provides Media-Saturn with a good opportunity to hold events of its own prior to the trade fair, come to agreements internally, as well as cultivate contacts. www.ifa-international.org IFA International • Saturday 6 th & Sunday 7 th September 2014 15
