Trade and industry entered the most important trading season, christmas, with confidence. Particularly in the key areas of television, telecommunications and electrical household appliances, the expectations of the traders have been exceeded. "Trade and industry are entering the christmas season in a confident mood," said hans-joachim kamp, chairman of the supervisory board of the gesellschaft fur unterhaltungs- und kommunikationselektronik (gfu), the german association for entertainment and communication electronics.
As in the previous year, a total of around 240,000 people visited the international radio exhibition (IFA) over six days, but the expected increase failed to materialize. The organizers had increased the admission prices this year. The fair pointed out that the proportion of trade visitors and international guests had increased.
In the first half of the year, the consumer electronics industry in germany had to cope with a minus of three percent. TV market slumped by a quarter – more than expected after a strong first half in 2012 due to the european soccer championships and the switch-off of the analog signal.
1493 exhibitors presented their innovations in the exhibition halls at berlin’s radio tower. The samsung computer clock and televisions with ultra-high resolution screens attracted particular attention.