What you need to know
- IFA 2020 will take place as a physical event in Berlin from September 3-5.
- Unlike previous years, however, IFA 2020 will not be open to the public.
- The annual electronics show will be run as four standalone events, with a limit of 1,000 attendees for each event per day.
IFA had announced last month that its upcoming 2020 conference would go ahead with an "innovative new concept," despite the ban on all events with more than 5,000 participants until October 24 by Berlin authorities. It today announced more details on the new concept, which prioritizes the health and safety of the attendees over everything else.
IFA 2020 will take place as an in-person event in Berlin over just three days – from September 3-5. In addition to shortening the duration of the conference, IFA has also made it invite-only. There will be a strict limit of 1,000 attendees per day for each of the four standalone events that have been planned. The organizers of the event will be partnering with public health authorities in Germany to ensure social distancing, crowd control, and public hygiene.
Jens Heithecker, Executive Director of IFA Berlin, said in a statement:
After all the event cancellations during the past months, our industry urgently needs a platform where it can showcase its innovation, so that it can recover and rebound. The recovery of our industry starts here at IFA Berlin." While virtual events were useful, they were "missing the immediacy, hands-on experience and human connections that make events like IFA Berlin so incredibly useful.
IFA says the conference will provide an opportunity to all consumer electronics and home appliances brands to showcase their new products to consumers and trade ahead of the year's most important shopping season.
The coronavirus pandemic has affected all major tech industry events this year. While MWC 2020, E3 2020, Google I/O 2020, and Facebook F8 were canceled entirely, other events such as Gamescom, WWDC 2020, and Build 2020 will now be held online.
Coronavirus and tech: Ongoing list of event cancellations, disruptions, product delays, and more
