Berlin tech trade fair is back, but 240,000 visitors aren't

Six months after the COVID-19 pandemic forced the sudden cancellation of the Mobile World Congress, the technology trade fair business is mounting a comeback with a scaled-back version of the IFA consumer electronics fair in Berlin.

Yet this year's edition of the event, first held in 1924, is shaping up to be a lot like Champions League soccer - the players are on the pitch, the support staff are on the touchline, but the stadium is empty."A normal IFA, with 240,000 visitors and 6,000 media representatives from 80 countries just isn't practical," IFA Director Dirk Koslowski told Reuters before the event, which is open only to trade and media.

In planning its return, IFA chose to stage a 'hybrid' version of the gathering, which traditionally kicks off the pre-Christmas shopping season, featuring a combination of online and in-person events. South Korea's Samsung Electronics has just held events to promote its second-generation Fold2 folding phone and the latest product range from its booming home appliances division.

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