Held in new format: IFA was cancelled for the first time since World War II

IFA was cancelled for the first time since World War II. It will be held in a new format. The cause of cancelling IFA was the Coronavirus epidemic

The annual International Exhibition of Consumer Electronics Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin held in Berlin. It is one of Germany’s oldest exhibitions and one of the world’s premier trade exhibitions.

Yesterday, on the official page of the Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin exhibition on Instagram, a message was posted that it would not be held this year. At least in the format that everyone is used to.

It is worth noting that the exhibition was first held in 1924. During the Second World War and in the post-war period (1940-1949), it was not carried out. From 1950 to 2005, the exhibition was held every two years. And then it was transferred to the annual format.

The organizers of the exhibition said that the law adopted by the German government to prohibit incidents with a large crowd of people does not allow IFA 2020. The fact is that thousands of people visit this exhibition every year.

The exhibition will probably be held in a new online format. As organizers will present the latest IFA 2020 concept in the near future, according to the official page.

IFA 2020 will be held in an “innovative new” form instead of a regular conference in conjunction with COVID-19

The IFA tweeted that the upcoming 2020 conference will be influenced by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But it does not cancel the show. The Berlin government has banned events with more than 5,000 participants until October 24, 2020. Which far exceeds the usual conference dates in September. Instead, conference organizers say IFA 2020 will continue the “innovative new concept.” He did not have a more specific language to express how he expects to do this. Although it is hard to imagine that it means anything other than a live stream.

Hans-Joachim Kamp, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the company that organizes the IFA, says in one of the tweets that the regulation preventing major events such as the IFA helped him, and many exhibitors who could plan their presence at IFA 2020 to start making plans for what will replace a personal event.

IFA 2020 is by no means the only event in the technology industry affected by the new coronavirus. Several personal conferences have been completely cancelled, including Google I / O 2020, MWC 2020, SXSW 2020, Facebook F8 and GDC 2020. Others have promised to host virtual events such as Oculus Connect, E3 2020, Apple WWDC 2020, Microsoft Build 2020, Gamescom and more.