Did we miss IFA?

IFA is a key opportunity for the CE industry to come together. This year it didn’t happen.  

Many things were notably missing; press drinks in Harry’s Bar, networking, face to face meetings, product launches, drinks in the beer tent at the end of the day (sorry, but I really did miss the drinks) and of course that all too valuable industry knowledge gathering. 

I'm a business development bod first and foremost, so I couldn’t resist the urge to shuffle around and see what was going on. I found it all rather depressing actually. The place felt deserted. Harry’s Bar was shut, the Messe was completely empty... but on the plus side you didn’t have to wait for a taxi!  

IFA did have a few things going on such as a virtual press launches, a very small exhibition hall with about 45-50 vendors. That was about it. 

Interestingly, IFA did try to support the show by flying out some press but unfortunately there were no brands there in person making the usual announcements. All the news was virtual and I suspect a lots of press were wondering why they were there...? 

I met with a long standing and respected CE industry veteran yesterday who helps CE start up brands. His concern was that with shows like IFA and CES switching to virtual, one of the biggest challenges for him will undoubtedly be sniffing out those brands to work with. The trade shows, by their very nature, offer a unique opportunity for introductions and nothing beats a face to face chemistry meeting to gauge the prospect of a long-lasting relationship. 

It’s really interesting to think about this for a second. Ranieri Agency is most definitely pivoting its service offering as the requirements of brands change due to current retail market conditions. Like most established businesses, we benefit from an existing client base and a full service offering to adapt. For smaller, or start-up, businesses shows like IFA really are the training ground for networking and relationship building. 

I don’t think I will miss IFA, but I do think we are going to miss the business networking opportunities shows like IFA bring Without face to face meeting opportunities, I worry business is going to become very sterile. I, for one, certainly won't be trusting Google’s algorithms to determine who I work with.