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The appointment is always in the same place, at the Berlin Messe, but the 2023 edition of the Internationale Funkausstellung is in fact already historic, because it is the one that precedes the centenary of the largest European consumer electronics event, an industry today strongly rethought in all its declinations and applications.
The opening to the public is set for Friday 1 September and until Tuesday 5 there will be the opportunity to touch the latest news from almost all the companies in the sector, from the Korean Samsung and LG to the very large patrol of Chinese brands (Honor, Haier, Lenovo, Tcl and so on) via Sony, Asus, Philips, Garmin, Harman and others. Overall, exhibitors from 44 countries will converge; Germany and China alone account for about a third and the presence of Italian companies is considered significant.
What event will this year be? Oliver Merlin, managing director of Ifa Management (the new joint venture founded by gfu – Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH and Clarion Events), used the adjective “stimulating” to present it to the media, inviting insiders and enthusiasts to take a closer look the “tech” lifestyle of the years to come, through a holistic vision of everyday reality.
We will therefore talk about all-round innovation, digital lifestyle and smart homes, domotics and robotics (the immersive area House of Robots will make its debut for the occasion), artificial intelligence and ChatGPT, gaming and the metaverse, and then ethics and circular economy, wellness and sustainability, the latter theme which remains central at Ifa and to which an entire Village will be dedicated. For those who are not satisfied with a visit to the fair, BerlinTechWeek is served, a rich schedule of themed evening events that will enliven the German capital simultaneously with the official event.
In terms of actual products, the pavilions of the Messe were populated by the usual overflowing galaxy of connected devices for the home (TVs, refrigerators, audio systems, smart appliances of various kinds) and for users who are always connected on the move (smartphones foldable, wearable and accessories in all shapes), while not to be missed for purists of the new tech frontier is IFA Next, at Halle 27, where the proposals of over 500 startups will find space.