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A journey through a century.

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This page is a journey through time. Through a century of IFA. Through decades of technological leaps, stories of an entire industry, and developments that continue to shape our everyday lives to this day.

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From the first “Great German Radio Exhibition” in 1924 to the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances – a tour through the most important milestones.

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From the “Great German Radio Exhibition” to a world-leading trade show.

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In December 1924, the “Great German Radio Exhibition” opened its doors in Berlin for the first time. What began as a showcase for a young broadcasting technology developed over the course of a century into the world’s leading trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances. GFU – the owner of the trademark rights to IFA – has compiled the most important milestones in this extraordinary trade show history to mark the 100th anniversary.

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1924–1933:

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\n The beginnings

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With 242 exhibitors and 180,000 visitors, the first “Great German Radio Exhibition” opened in Berlin in December 1924. In the years that followed, detector receivers, the first tube receivers, and the Berlin Radio Tower were created. Albert Einstein delivered the opening speech in 1930, and one year later the first electronic television set was launched. IFA’s first decade laid the foundation for a century of industry history.

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1934–1949:

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\n Peak and rupture.

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In its second decade, the Radio Exhibition reached new dimensions: 500,000 visitors came in 1935, the world’s first public television program was launched, and the 1936 Olympic Games were broadcast in Berlin television rooms. But with the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, an era came to an end. For ten years, no Radio Exhibition was held – while technologies such as magnetic tape, the transistor, and the first fully electronic computer continued to develop behind the scenes.

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1950–1959:

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\n The economic miracle comes into the living room.

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The first Radio Exhibition of the postwar period took place in Düsseldorf in 1950: during this decade, television became a mass medium. Tagesschau, the concept of hi-fi, and Sputnik shaped the industry. At the same time, inventions such as the first fully automatic washing machine, the first built-in refrigerator, and the first automatic washer changed everyday life in German households.

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