By James Wells

GERMANY: Miele co-owner, Dr Markus Miele, has told Current.com.au that he backs the decision to include appliances inside the Berlin consumer electronics trade fair, IFA, commencing in 2008.

In an interview conducted with Current.com.au last month at the company’s head office in Gütersloh, Dr Miele supported the concept of the inclusion of appliances within the largest consumer electronics exhibition in the world.

“There are big box producers who have not decided to go to the Domotechnica,” Dr Miele told Current.com.au referring to the traditional German appliance trade fair which occurs every two years in the nearby city of Cologne and is next scheduled to run from 18 to 21 February 2008.

“We have seen some companies are favouring IFA with discussion of a whitegoods area. We have seen Eurocucina in Milan take over a lot of the built-in business, but is there enough space for a second fair as the big chains have their own fairs for their customers?” Miele said.

“One discussion, is whether the manufacturers are able to reduce the number of shows they visit now and save the money for IFA with a whitegoods section of the show.”

“I hope we will have a fair — we have a number of customers, who would like to have a fair and see a display of whitegoods products.”

According to the local representative of Messe Berlin, Rudy Barth, the evolution of the show is a pleasing development.

“For more than 50 years IFA has been the world’s largest and leading international trade fair for consumer electronics. It started out being an event held every two years but recently became an annual event to accommodate the rapidly changing world of consumer electronics,” Barth said.

“To now accommodate within the same international exhibition home appliances only completes the picture for both exhibitors and visitors. Consumer electronics and home appliances have been very closely aligned and now they are paired for a perfect marriage. I am sure that everyone would want to be in Berlin on the first occasion of this new and extended event and see for themselves.”