Berlin’s IFA consumer trade show wrapped up last week, drawing big crowds and generating a lot of buzz.
Naturally, organizers were trumpeting the event as a big success, and it certainly seems to be getting a lot of attention. Still, it got me wondering: How does IFA compare to CES, the big daddy of consumer gadget shows?
Here’s a look at the official numbers released by CES from its last edition in 2016 and from IFA, following its latest conference last week. Worth noting: CES had started capping its growth recently in recognition that it has become monstrously huge.
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CES: 177,393 (2016); 176,676 (2015)
IFA: 240,000 (2016); 245,000 (2015)
EXHIBITORS
CES: 3,887 (2016); 3,600 (2015)
IFA: 1,823 (2016); 1,645 (2015)
EXHIBITION SPACE
CES: 2.47 million square feet (2016); 2.2 million square feet (2015)
IFA: 1.7 million square feet (2016); 1.62 million square feet (2015)
REGISTERED MEDIA
CES: 7,545 (2016); 6,952 (2015)
IFA: 1,800 (2016); 2,700 (2015)
Bottom line, CES is still the bigger of the two by all measures and is hanging tough. IFA, by some of its own measures, had a mixed year, at best, and it will be interesting to see whether it can continue to convince big tech companies that it’s a must-attend event.
Sources: IFA 2016 numbers; IFA 2015 numbers
