History of GFU
GFU was founded in 1973 with the mission of raising the industry’s visibility through trade fairs and public relations. Since then, much has changed: color televisions became smart home systems, record players became streaming services, and the Volksempfänger became voice assistants. What has remained is the connection between industry, retail, media, and politics—and the ambition to give the industry a shared voice. Join us on a journey through five decades of industry, technology, and brand development.
1973
On June 6, 1973, eleven leading consumer electronics companies joined forces in Frankfurt am Main and founded the “Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Unterhaltungselektronik” – GFU for short. It was a time when color televisions were just making their way into living rooms, the record player reigned supreme, and the first video recorders were arriving. Their mission: to make the industry visible through trade fairs and public relations.
1986
13 years after its founding, the name was changed: the “Gesellschaft zur Förderung der Unterhaltungselektronik” became the “Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik.” The reason was technological: the shareholders had expanded their product portfolio to include communication electronics. Telephones, fax machines, and the first mobile phones were making their debut. GFU continued to evolve – from pure entertainment to a more comprehensive ambition.
2005
By changing the IFA schedule from every two years to annually, GFU responded to a new reality: the pace of innovation in consumer electronics had accelerated. Products were being developed faster, trends were changing in shorter cycles, and the market demanded up-to-date relevance. IFA became the stage for innovations, and GFU the pace-setter for this rhythm.
2006
2006 became a decisive year for GFU’s industry communications. Three new formats were launched in parallel: CEMIX – the Consumer Electronics Market Index – appeared for the first time. A joint project by GFU, the Bundesverband Technik des Einzelhandels (BVT), and GfK Retail and Technology, it would go on to document the market development of consumer electronics on a quarterly basis.
At the same time, the first international press conference was launched in the run-up to IFA. The annual event takes place at changing locations with global reach and gets the industry talking months before the trade fair.
And with the Pocket Guides, a third format was created: together with the BVT and changing industry partners, GFU publishes up-to-date, neutral buying guides—as an information resource for consumers and a sales support tool for retailers.
Three initiatives, one shared goal: sharing knowledge, explaining the market, connecting the industry.
2008
With IFA 2008, the trade fair opened up to large and small electrical household appliances – washing machines, refrigerators, and coffee machines made their first appearance in the Berlin exhibition halls. This strategic expansion soon proved to be exactly the right move and breathed new life into IFA: from then on, cooking and tastings took place in the exhibition halls beneath the radio tower, coffee was served, and beauty products were tried out.
Consumer electronics and home appliances were increasingly understood as a single shared market. GFU followed this logic and soon expanded its group of shareholders to include companies from the electrical home appliance industry.
2010
With the 50th IFA, industry history became an exhibition. To mark the anniversary, the Broadcasting Museum of the City of Fürth presented a special exhibition spanning the arc from the first Volksempfänger to the HD television. A look back at five decades of technological leaps—and proof of how IFA transforms industry moments into collective memory.
2012
With “gfu Insights & Trends,” a new expert format was launched in 2012: an annual meeting point that contextualizes current industry topics and brings together perspectives from industry, retail, and research. Following the expert insights comes the “gfu Media Night”—an informal setting where the industry and media come together. Over the years, an event format became a fixed fixture in the industry calendar.
2014
With the new GFU logo and the descriptor “Consumer & Home Electronics,” what had been developing since 2008 became visible: the industry had grown together. What had long been thought of separately as “brown” and “white” goods—consumer electronics here, home appliances there—now stood under one shared roof. GFU followed this reality in its name as well: from 2015 onward, it officially operated as “GFU Consumer & Home Electronics.”
2017
What began in 2006 as the Consumer Electronics Market Index was expanded in 2017 into the Home Electronics Market Index: large and small electrical appliances were included in the survey. CEMIX became HEMIX—a market index that now reflects the entire private home electronics market in Germany. A logical consequence of the industry that had already grown together in 2008—and a body of data that continues to document market development quarter by quarter to this day.
2020
GFU moved into new offices in Frankfurt’s Westend district. With the move to Bockenheimer Landstraße, the company found a location suited to the industry’s growth—central, internationally connected, and with short routes to partners from industry and media.
2022
With the founding of IFA Management GmbH, a joint venture was created between GFU and the British event organizer Clarion Events. Responsibility for the operational direction of the Internationale Funkausstellung was placed on a new footing: German industry expertise meets international trade fair experience. GFU remains the owner of the IFA brand and gains a partner that will further expand the trade fair’s global appeal.
2024
IFA is celebrating a major anniversary: 100 years of the Internationale Funkausstellung. What began in Berlin in 1924 as the “Große Deutsche Funkausstellung” has developed over a century into one of the world’s most important platforms for consumer and home electronics. From the Volksempfänger to artificial intelligence, from black-and-white television to the smart home – IFA has accompanied and helped shape every technological turning point in the industry.
To mark the anniversary, the trade fair has been given a new name: the “Internationale Funkausstellung” officially becomes “IFA – Innovation Für Alle.” A deliberate decision by GFU as the brand owner, showing what the three letters mean today and clearly defining the brand identity for the next century.
You can find more about the fascinating history of IFA here.
2025
With Carine Chardon, an experienced industry voice takes over as Managing Director of GFU. With many years of experience in the tech and media industry, she brings a clear perspective on the connection between industry, retail, politics, and the public—and continues GFU’s course as a central industry hub. Tradition becomes the future.
