David Ruetz, Senior Vice President of IFA 2022, welcomed visitors on the first day of the IFA Innovations Media Briefing 2022 at the CityCube Berlin.

David Ruetz started his welcome speech at this year’s IMB by taking a short trip down memory lane. He reminded the audience that in 1858, Queen Victoria sent telegrams to the American President James Buchanan via undersea cable. Since then, a lot has happened in terms of technological development. For example, this is the first time in three years that the IFA will be taking place in person. Since then, the progress in digital development has been tremendous, Ruetz said, especially regarding energy-efficient domestic appliances. Ruetz is very proud that “IFA will be held in 30 halls and several special areas at the Messe Berlin this year”, and underlined the great importance of the trade show. “Since its foundation in 1924, IFA is a major trendsetter of the industry”, he emphasised.

As one of the major programme highlights this year, the IFA+ Summit gives visitors the opportunity to network even more. The event will be held in cooperation with GfU on September 5th. From July onwards, IFA will offer a virtual B2B platform, with new possibilities and tools to network, as well as highlights and showcases of upcoming products. Ruetz stressed the importance of meeting face to face during the coming IFA in September: “The internet is not able to substitute an in-person meeting”. To conclude, Ruetz gave a brief overview of the trade show and said “me and the 1,000 employees of the Messe Berlin hope you find some interesting insights and have great anticipation of the IFA in September”.