Messe Berlin has appointed David Ruetz and Kai Mangelberger as the new heads of IFA 2022, replacing the previous leadership of Jens Heithecker and Dirk Koslowski.
“IFA will be even stronger when it returns in September – our preparations are well underway and the market’s expectations are high,” Messe Berlin GmbH CEO, Martin Ecknig said.
“As the world’s leading trade fair for consumer and home electronics, we are ready to give the industry the right platform for reopening business. With David and Kai we have appointed a strong dual leadership, who together with the IFA team will successfully manage the countdown over the coming months.”
As the head of ITB Berlin, the world’s leading travel trade show, Ruetz has broad knowledge of developing successful global B2B projects. An experienced international communications expert, he has led ITB at Messe Berlin since 2002. In this period, he contributed to transforming the trade show into a global brand.
As senior vice president of IFA 2022, Ruetz will be IFA’s main contact for the market’s key players. “I will be able to rely on the expertise of the IFA project team. My colleagues have been familiar with this market for many years and in the past have repeatedly shown that Messe Berlin knows how to do live events. We are offering our international visitors a platform for good business, networking and a good overview of trends,” he said.
Mangelberger, director of IFA 2022, has more than 20 years of expertise in managing events. During this time, he supervised the leading transport technology trade fair InnoTrans, most recently as its deputy director, before last year taking over as head of Fruit Logistica, the leading trade fair for the global fruit trade.