{"id":2453,"date":"2026-06-08T09:39:05","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T09:39:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/?page_id=2453"},"modified":"2026-06-28T15:31:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-28T15:31:53","slug":"gfu-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/gfu-history\/","title":{"rendered":"GFU History"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n History of GFU <\/p>\n \n

Over 50 years of industry development.<\/h1>\n
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GFU was founded in 1973 with the mission of raising the industry\u2019s 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 Volksempf\u00e4nger became voice assistants. What has remained is the connection between industry, retail, media, and politics\u2014and the ambition to give the industry a shared voice. Join us on a journey through five decades of industry, technology, and brand development.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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1973<\/p>\n \n

Three letters. One idea.<\/h2> <\/div>\n\n
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On June 6, 1973, eleven leading consumer electronics companies joined forces in Frankfurt am Main and founded the \u201cGesellschaft zur F\u00f6rderung der Unterhaltungselektronik\u201d \u2013 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.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n

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1986<\/p>\n \n

\n From receiving to transmitting. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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13 years after its founding, the name was changed: the \u201cGesellschaft zur F\u00f6rderung der Unterhaltungselektronik\u201d became the \u201cGesellschaft f\u00fcr Unterhaltungs- und Kommunikationselektronik.\u201d 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 \u2013 from pure entertainment to a more comprehensive ambition.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2005<\/p>\n \n

\n The industry\u2019s new rhythm. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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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.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2006<\/p>\n \n

\n Three formats. A springboard year. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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2006 became a decisive year for GFU\u2019s industry communications. Three new formats were launched in parallel: CEMIX \u2013 the Consumer Electronics Market Index \u2013 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\u2014as an information resource for consumers and a sales support tool for retailers.<\/p>\n

Three initiatives, one shared goal: sharing knowledge, explaining the market, connecting the industry.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2008<\/p>\n \n

\n The trade fair is expanding. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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With IFA 2008, the trade fair opened up to large and small electrical household appliances \u2013 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.
\nConsumer 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.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2010<\/p>\n \n

\n Half a century of IFA. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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With the 50th IFA, industry history became an exhibition. To mark the anniversary, the Broadcasting Museum of the City of F\u00fcrth presented a special exhibition spanning the arc from the first Volksempf\u00e4nger to the HD television. A look back at five decades of technological leaps\u2014and proof of how IFA transforms industry moments into collective memory.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2012<\/p>\n \n

\n Knowledge becomes a format. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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With \u201cgfu Insights & Trends,\u201d 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 \u201cgfu Media Night\u201d\u2014an informal setting where the industry and media come together. Over the years, an event format became a fixed fixture in the industry calendar.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2014<\/p>\n \n

\n One logo. One industry. One self-image. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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With the new GFU logo and the descriptor \u201cConsumer & Home Electronics,\u201d what had been developing since 2008 became visible: the industry had grown together. What had long been thought of separately as \u201cbrown\u201d and \u201cwhite\u201d goods\u2014consumer electronics here, home appliances there\u2014now stood under one shared roof. GFU followed this reality in its name as well: from 2015 onward, it officially operated as \u201cGFU Consumer & Home Electronics.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2017<\/p>\n \n

\n CEMIX becomes HEMIX. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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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\u2014a 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\u2014and a body of data that continues to document market development quarter by quarter to this day.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2020<\/p>\n \n

\n A new home in the Westend. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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GFU moved into new offices in Frankfurt\u2019s Westend district. With the move to Bockenheimer Landstra\u00dfe, the company found a location suited to the industry\u2019s growth\u2014central, internationally connected, and with short routes to partners from industry and media.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2022<\/p>\n \n

\n A new partnership. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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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\u2019s global appeal.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2024<\/p>\n \n

\n 100 Years of Trade Fair History. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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IFA is celebrating a major anniversary: 100 years of the Internationale Funkausstellung. What began in Berlin in 1924 as the \u201cGro\u00dfe Deutsche Funkausstellung\u201d has developed over a century into one of the world\u2019s most important platforms for consumer and home electronics. From the Volksempf\u00e4nger to artificial intelligence, from black-and-white television to the smart home \u2013 IFA has accompanied and helped shape every technological turning point in the industry.<\/p>\n

To mark the anniversary, the trade fair has been given a new name: the \u201cInternationale Funkausstellung\u201d officially becomes \u201cIFA \u2013 Innovation F\u00fcr Alle.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

You can find more about the fascinating history of IFA here.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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2025<\/p>\n \n

\n New Managing Director. Familiar course. <\/h2>\n <\/div>\n\n
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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\u2014and continues GFU\u2019s course as a central industry hub. Tradition becomes the future.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n \n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Further back in time<\/p>\n \n

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A history that goes back even further.<\/h3>\n
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The history of IFA stretches back more than a century. As the brand owner, GFU is deeply connected with the Funkausstellung, which has accompanied, shaped, and made the industry visible since 1924. From the Volksempf\u00e4nger to artificial intelligence, from the MP3 player to the smart home: IFA has showcased and documented all the major technological leaps.<\/p>\n

Anyone who wants to understand GFU should also know IFA. Our detailed IFA history takes you through nine eventful decades \u2013 with images and stories from every era.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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\n Go to IFA History<\/a> <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2453","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3761,"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2453\/revisions\/3761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gfu.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}