In Berlin, the IFA electronics trade show is eyed by experts for signs of recovery from the financial crisis.
Germany's consumer electronics trade show IFA may lack the glitz and glamour of other fairs, but this year it will attract more attention than usual as the technology world turns to Berlin for any signs of an upturn. Exhibitors put finishing touches on their stalls on Wednesday (September 2) before the IFA officially starts with a gala on Thursday (September 3) evening.
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In Berlin, the IFA electronics trade show is eyed by experts for signs of recovery from the financial crisis.
Germany's consumer electronics trade show IFA may lack the glitz and glamour of other fairs, but this year it will attract more attention than usual as the technology world turns to Berlin for any signs of an upturn. Exhibitors put finishing touches on their stalls on Wednesday (September 2) before the IFA officially starts with a gala on Thursday (September 3) evening.
There have already been some positive noises.
"The IFA surely is an engine for the economy in Germany" said Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of IFA organizer GFU. "We are talking about a global financial and economic crisis, only in the field of consumer electronics and electronic household appliances we have a situation in Germany that is different from the rest of the world. Consumer electronics is stable in Germany, the field of electronic household appliances is growing by three per cent, this is not happening anywhere else in the world. This means the German consumer is prepared to invest the money he has in these technologies.", Kamp added.
In January, industry estimates had pointed to a 4 percent drop in consumer electronics sales this year in Germany, Europe's biggest economy.
IFA, which opens its doors to the public on Friday and runs until Sept. 9, competes with the world's top gadget fair, the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held every January in Las Vegas.
Unlike CES, which saw fewer manufacturers and retailers attend this year, IFA said it was fully booked.
"The number of square metres booked by exhibitors has remained stable", said fair chief executive Christian Goeke. "That is the most important figure to work out the quality of the fair. We have remained stable and have gone through the crisis completely and utterly undamaged. We are on the same record level we were at last year."
At IFA, companies showcase upcoming products and usually give an indication on orders and expectations for the important year-end holiday season, while retailers negotiate contracts for the coming months.
Among those presenting at IFA are electronic companies LG, Samsung, Sharp and Sony, as well as navigation device maker TomTom, Dutch company Philips and Acer.
Some who skipped IFA in past years are returning, including British mobile phone group Vodafone, Japan's Pioneer and headphone manufacturer Sennheiser.
Major trends this year are expected to be energy efficiency, picture quality and design, as well as TV-Internet connectivity, according to German market research firm GfK.
Television sales in Germany were up 20 percent in the first six months of this year, driven by innovation, but GfK warned that the holiday business would be difficult because of an expected rise in unemployment.
Last year at IFA, the order volume of products amounted to some 3 billion euros ($4.29 billion), and GfK expects a slight rise this time around because of low inventories after retailers were hesitant in their orders last September.
Last year IFA, which was launched in 1924, added home appliances, ranging from washing machines and dishwashers to electric razors and blow dryers, to its product range.
But no matter how well designed those appliances are or how much energy they save, consumers mostly come to marvel at the true stars of the show, the flat-panel TVs, be they of the plasma or liquid crystal variety. Close