Events & Dates

Presence with substance.

GFU is where the home and consumer tech industry comes together: at conferences, panels, fireside chats, and in direct dialogue with industry, media, and politics. As industry insiders, Carine Chardon and her team bring market knowledge and context to the debates that move the industry. GFU is active as an organizer and brand owner where it is at home: at IFA in Berlin.

In Dialogue

Where exchange happens.

Whether at a specialist conference or a fireside chat: GFU is regularly on site to bring people, perspectives, and topics together – without being an exhibitor itself. That role is reserved for the industry.

What connects everything, however, runs through all areas of GFU, from press relations to dialogue with the industry: it is about creating interfaces and enabling conversations. As an industry insider, Carine Chardon moderated the Media Innovation Platform MIP#7 on June 25, 2026, in Berlin: The English-language panel “AI Along the Value Chain: Who Stands to Gain, Who Will Be Left Behind?” discussed with representatives of leading media companies how artificial intelligence is being integrated along the entire audiovisual value chain.

More about MIP#7

Active at IFA

At the heart of it as brand owner.

At IFA Berlin, GFU plays an active role as brand owner and with what defines it: up-to-date figures on the market, trends, and developments. From the IFA Kick-Off with GFU Insights & Trends to the opening press conference and the Opening Press Conference, GFU contributes the data foundation to the key moments of the trade show.

Go to IFA

Meeting Point

You can meet us at these IFA events

Bühne im Futurium anlässlich des IFA Kickoffs im Jahr 2025

IFA Kick-Off with GFU Insights & Trends

June 30, 2026 · Futurium Berlin

The IFA Kick-Off is the official start of IFA, and GFU opens it in terms of content: Immediately after the welcome, it will present Insights & Trends 2026 together with Oliver Wyman, an international consumer study on health tech, wellbeing, and longevity. After that, the day becomes an experience: keynotes from leading brands, hands-on experiences, and a networking evening that kicks off the IFA season.

Go to the Insights & Trends page

Bühne der Auftaktpressekonferenz der IFA 2025

IFA Pre-Press Conference

August 20, 2026 · Berlin (location tba)

Carine Chardon, Managing Director of GFU, will appear on stage at the IFA Pre-Press Conference together with Leif Lindner, Managing Director of IFA Management. The event is the final update before the trade show, with first sneak previews of the highlights of IFA 2026 and an outlook on the topics that will shape the industry in September.

IFA Stage während der Opening-PK der GFU

IFA Opening Press Conference

September 2, 2026 · Berlin Exhibition Grounds

The official press launch of IFA, as part of the IFA Media Days. Leif Lindner, Managing Director of IFA Management, presents IFA 2026: the program, highlights, and what visitors can expect on site. Carine Chardon adds current market data for GFU and provides context on how the markets are developing and which trends are shaping the industry.

Auditorium während der IFA Media Days

IFA Media Days

September 2–3, 2026 · Berlin Exhibition Grounds

Two days during which the major CE and HA brands show their innovations to the press first. On the Innovation Stage, Dream Stage, and Creator Stage, the topics that will later shape IFA coverage are set across the five content tracks. The official press launch is the IFA Opening Press Conference.

IFA Retail Summit

IFA Retail Leaders Summit

September 3, 2026 · Palais, Berlin Exhibition Grounds

Top-level networking for decision-makers in international retail. More than 100 C-level managers and senior decision-makers will come together under the theme “The Next Retail Advantage – Omnichannel, AI and the Future of Fulfilment” for keynotes, roundtables, and curated 1:1 meetings. The exclusive invitation-only format will be held in English.

Redepult zur IFA Opening Night

IFA Opening Night

September 3, 2026 · ICC Berlin

The official opening gala of IFA 2026 on the eve of the trade show’s opening. Representatives from top-level politics and leading industry partners will come together at Berlin’s ICC to jointly recognize the importance of the trade show and the industry, a festive start before the official opening day.

Politiker auf dem IFA-Opening Rundgang

Official IFA Opening Tour

September 4, 2026 · Berlin Exhibition Grounds

The official opening tour of IFA 2026, together with leading figures from federal and Berlin politics: Federal Minister for Digital Affairs and Government Modernization Dr. Karsten Wildberger, Governing Mayor of Berlin Kai Wegner, and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises Franziska Giffey will open the trade show. A signal of the economic and social importance of the industry, right on the first day of the trade show.