IFA 2020 Canceled for the First Time Since WWII Over the Coronavirus Pandemic
IFA is the world's leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances. This annual international exhibition is one of Germany's oldest exhibitions and one of the main trade shows in the world.
The exhibition was first held in 1924. It only did not take place during the Second World War and in the post-war period in 1940-1949. From 1950 to 2005, the exhibition was held every two years, and then it was converted into an annual format.
IFA 2020 was supposed to take place from September 4 to 9 in Berlin. However, IFA organizers announced on Twitter that the upcoming 2020 conference would be affected by the ongoing quarantine caused by the novel coronavirus. There is no plan to cancel the exhibition, though.
#IFA20: Set for an innovative concept designed for unprecedented times.
— IFA Berlin (@IFA_Berlin) April 21, 2020
IFA Berlin is set to go ahead in 2020, but with an innovative new concept, following the decision by the Berlin government to ban all events with more than 5,000 participants until 24 October 2020.
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Berlin authorities have banned events with more than 5,000 participants until October 24, 2020, and this restriction significantly exceeds the usual dates for the exhibition in September.
Thus, the organizers had to look for alternatives. Instead of a regular exhibition in 2020, it is planned to introduce an "innovative new concept." At the same time, it is not specified what exactly this innovation will be like. Most likely, we can expect a series of live broadcasts from stands and presentations, as it now happens when some companies launch new products.
Hans-Joachim Kamp, the chairman on the supervisory board of the company that organizes IFA, said that the authorities’ restrictions that prevent major events such as the IFA from happening actually helped the organization. Many exhibitors who planned to attend IFA 2020 focused on replacing the in-person event with other alternatives.
IFA 2020 is not the only event in the technology industry that has felt the impact of the coronavirus spread. Several exhibitions and conferences have been completely canceled, including Google I/O 2020, MWC 2020, SXSW 2020, Facebook F8, and GDC 2020. Other events are planned to be held online, such as Oculus Connect, E3 2020, and Apple WWDC 2020.