Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM NOVEMBER 2014 10 WORLDWIDE MEDIA INTEREST 5,900 journalists covered IFA 2014, including over 2,600 media members from around the world. The many reports published in the world's leading high- circulation print media are a reflection of the high level of interest in IFA. Publications included The Wall Street Journal, Huffington Post, USA Today and New York Times (USA), The Nikkei (Japan), The Korea Times and JoongAng IIbo (Korea), Le Monde and Le Figaro (France), La Stampa and Corriere della Sera (Italy), El Pais (Spain), the International Herald and The Guardian (UK) as well as El Watan Economie (Algeria), The Khaleej Times and The National (United Arab Emirates). The presence of numerous international networks at the Global Broadcasting Center (GBC) also reflected the heightened interest of the world's media in IFA. Among the international networks reporting on IFA were CCTV and Jiangsu TV from China, BFM TV and Euronews from France, the BBC, RAI and Mediaset from Italy, NHK from Japan, YTN and KBS from South Korea, TRT and Star Media from Turkey as well as the US networks CNBC/ NBC and Bloomberg. "As the world's leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances IFA is the world's most effective information exchange for the industry. Within companies, IFA is a matter for decision-makers at the highest level," said Dr. Christian Göke, CEO of Messe Berlin. "We are very satisfied with the extremely positive reactions." Jens Heithecker, director of IFA commented, "In 2014 we were able to strengthen IFA's position on the world market. More than 2,600 international journalists reported on the product innovations in Berlin to audiences all over the world and ensured that the manufacturers took centre stage." IFA+ SUMMIT AN IMMEDIATE SUCCESS The conference program at IFA has also acquired an entirely international dimension. The new conference format entitled 'IFA+ Summit – Next Level of Thinking' was an immediate success at IFA 2014. Over a period of two days at the IFA+ Summit pioneers, senior executives and entrepreneurs outlined notable trends and ideas for a digital future under the headings of Mobility, Health, Big Data, Home, Design and New Entertainment. Under the heading of IFA Summits, the following congresses and conference events took place at FA 2014: the IFA International Keynotes, the new IFA+ Summit, the Display Search Business Conference, TEDx Berlin as well as the conference entitled 'GfK Retail & Technology: Be Smart —Meet the Consumer Products of Tomorrow'. The IFA International Keynotes have become a meeting place for senior executives and CEOs from around the world. "The home of the future is no longer a vision." That was the key statement made by Samsung's president Boo-Keun Yoon in his keynote address which opened IFA 2014. "It is not a future somewhere beyond the horizon," Yoon noted. "Look at how quickly, in the space of only a few years, smartphones and tablets have changed our lives. There will be no such thing as a standard household, instead there will be millions of individual ones adapted to the needs of those who live in them." AN IMMEDIATE Success! IFA 2014:

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