Preparations are underway for Consumer Electronics China (CE China), a global IFA event that will be the new premier trade show for the Chinese market. The new trade show for consumer electronics and appliances will take place in Shenzhen, China, in April 2016 and will be developed by the Messe Berlin team responsible for the huge success of IFA.
IFA 2015 was another huge success for Messe Berlin. The show was booked solid for the eighth consecutive year, with 1,645 exhibitors and rented floor space totaling 150,000 square meters. Never before have so many exhibitors been welcomed by IFA on the Berlin Exhibition Grounds. IFA 2015 also confirmed an unexpectedly large increase in trade visitors from Germany and abroad. Overall, the total number of visitors rose to 245,000. The majority of trade visitors came from abroad.
The 2015 event in Berlin also used to confirm a new IFA event - Consumer Electronics China - expanding IFA’s successful concept in an aim to establish it as China’s leading trade fair for consumer electronics and home appliances. “CE China will be modeled on IFA in Berlin. We are confident that with the Economy, Trade and Information Commission of Shenzhen we have secured the right partner for this global event, which will be under the aegis of IFA’s organizers,“ explained Jens Heithecker, Executive Director of IFA at Messe Berlin:
The right context
The global Consumer Electronics market has expanded by 14 per cent, based on Euros. With the rate of exchange between Euro and US Dollars, market development is stable, keeping pace with last year’s figures. With the exception of central and eastern Europe, developments in every region around the world have been positive. In the home appliances sector, 2015 will also see a positive trend with growth reaching 4 per cent for major domestic appliances and six per cent for small domestic appliances.
“With its unique range of exhibits, IFA is a launching pad for successful business, innovative products are vital to growth - and they have debuted at IFA for more than 90 years“, said Hans-Joachim Kamp, chairman of the supervisory board of gfu Consumer & Home Electronics GmbH, the organizers of IFA.
“Growth in the global market for home appliances ranges from minus 35 to plus 17 per cent in various regions around the world, like in 2014. In 2015, we anticipate growth for the year as a whole“, said Dr. Reinhard Zinkann, Chairman of the Home Appliances Division at ZVEI. “As the world’s leading trade show for the home appliances industry IFA continues to occupy a trendsetting role.”
Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin: “IFA is the industry’s global indicator, reflecting trends, the state of the economy and market developments. New products drive the markets. Our mission is to be the most significant and effective platform for the industry and retail in order to reach the consumer.“
Consumer Electronics China (CE China)
A new trade show for consumer electronics and appliances in Shenzhen, China, CE China will be a global IFA event, developed by the Messe Berlin team responsible for the huge success of IFA and scheduled for April 2016. Work on CE China 2016 started in Berlin, with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by Limin Guo, Director General of Shenzen’s Economy Trade and Information Commission, and Dr Christian Göke, Chief Executive of Messe Berlin, on the sidelines of the 2015 IFA trade show.
The CE China will have its home in Shenzhen’s ultra-modern exhibition grounds. It’s an ideal location, not only because Shenzhen is at the heart of a center of the country’s electronics industry, but also because of its great transport links, thanks to airport hubs in Shenzhen and nearby Guangzhou, and the fact that both Hong Kong and Macao are very close by.
CE China will build on the success of the IFA concept, with its focus on brands and their innovation and products, which Messe Berlin wants to replicate in Shenzhen. The plans for developing CE China have the full support of Shenzhen’s city administration. Top Chinese retailers like Alibaba and Gome are also backing the concept, while other leading retailer groups have signaled their support. IDG, China’s most important publisher for media focusing on consumer electronics, will be a long-term strategic Partner of CE China.
Limin Guo, the Director General of the Shenzhen Economy, Trade and Information Commission, said that “Both Berlin and Shenzhen are set to benefit enormously from closer trade cooperation and economic ties. Bringing a global IFA event to Shenzhen is a major step to achieve this goal, and Shenzhen’s Municipal Government fully supports and encourages this move.”
“The idea for Consumer Electronics China really came from our many Chinese partners here at IFA, who asked us time and again whether we could organize a similar show focused on China,” said Jens Heithecker, Executive Director of IFA at Messe Berlin. “We will build on our many years of close co-operation with China’s consumer electronics and household appliances industry, as well as our partnership with key retailers like Alibaba and Gome to make CEC a success.”
IFA takes place again in Berlin September 2-7, 2016.
www.ifa-berlin.com
