IFA Berlin: More Than 100 Years of Technology That Changed Our Everyday Lives

Long before smartphones, artificial intelligence, smart homes or even television became part of everyday life, Berlin already had a place where people could see the technologies of the future.

That place was IFA Berlin.

Today, IFA is one of the world's major exhibitions for consumer electronics and home appliances. But its story started more than a century ago — with something much simpler: radio.

1924: It All Started With Radio

The first IFA took place in Berlin on 4 December 1924 under the name Große Deutsche Funkausstellung — the Great German Radio Exhibition.

Radio was still a relatively new technology. Visitors came to see detector receivers, tube radios, headphones and other devices that were beginning to transform communication and entertainment.

The first exhibition attracted around 180,000 visitors and more than 240 exhibitors.

It was the beginning of something much bigger.

At the same time, construction began on one of Berlin's future landmarks: the Funkturm, or Radio Tower. It was inaugurated in 1926 and remains one of the most recognizable symbols of the Messe Berlin exhibition grounds today.

1928: Television Appears

Only four years after the first exhibition, visitors were already getting a glimpse of another technology that would completely change the world.

Television.

In 1928, one of the early television demonstrations was presented during the exhibition. The images were tiny and primitive compared with today's screens, but the idea of transmitting moving pictures electronically must have seemed extraordinary.

IFA was already becoming a place where ordinary people could encounter technologies that previously sounded like science fiction.

1930: Albert Einstein Opens the Exhibition

One of the most remarkable moments in IFA history happened in 1930.

The opening address was delivered by none other than Albert Einstein.

Einstein spoke about radio and communication during the opening of the seventh German Radio Exhibition. His appearance remains one of the most famous moments in the history of IFA.

Think about the contrast with today's exhibition: more than 90 years ago, Einstein stood at a technology fair talking about radio communication. Today, companies at the same exhibition discuss artificial intelligence, robotics, connected homes and the next generation of digital devices.

The technology changed enormously.

The fascination with the future did not.

The 1930s: Radio Becomes Mass Technology

During the 1930s, radio and television technology developed rapidly.

The exhibition became increasingly important to Germany's electronics industry. New radio receivers, recording technologies and early television systems appeared.

But this period also has a darker historical context.

After the Nazis came to power, radio became an important propaganda instrument. The famous Volksempfänger, an inexpensive radio receiver designed to bring broadcasting into German households, was presented at the 1933 exhibition.

Technology was demonstrating something that remains relevant today: communication tools can transform society, but how they are used depends on the political and social environment around them.

In 1935, another important technology appeared: the Magnetophon, an early magnetic tape recorder.

Meanwhile, television continued developing. During the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games, people could watch television broadcasts in special public television rooms around the city.

1940–1949: The Exhibition Disappears

The Second World War interrupted IFA's development.

Between 1940 and 1949, the radio exhibition did not take place.

When it returned in 1950, Germany — and the technology industry — had changed dramatically.

The post-war exhibitions were initially held outside Berlin, including in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.

Television was rapidly becoming a mass-market product.

The future was moving from radio into the living room.

1967: Germany Turns to Colour Television

One of the most famous moments in German television history is closely connected to the Funkausstellung.

In 1967, German Vice-Chancellor Willy Brandt symbolically launched colour television in West Germany during the exhibition.

Germany adopted the PAL colour television system, and suddenly the television world was no longer limited to black and white.

The exhibition of this era also reflected other technological changes: FM radio, remote controls, semiconductor electronics, stereo sound and the Compact Cassette.

IFA was gradually evolving from a radio exhibition into something much broader.

1971: IFA Becomes International

A major transformation happened in 1971.

The exhibition returned permanently to Berlin and became the Internationale Funkausstellung, giving us the abbreviation that is still famous today:

IFA.

International companies were increasingly invited to participate, including major Japanese electronics manufacturers.

The 1971 exhibition attracted nearly 599,000 visitors and 285 exhibitors.

Video recorders were among the technologies attracting attention.

IFA was no longer simply an exhibition about German radio technology. It was becoming an international stage for consumer electronics.

The 1980s: CDs, Video and HDTV

The electronics revolution accelerated dramatically during the 1980s.

Home video recorders changed the way people watched television. Camcorders allowed consumers to record their own videos. Compact discs began transforming music.

And in 1985, IFA demonstrated HDTV — high-definition television.

At the time, HDTV was far from being something the average household could simply buy and stream Netflix on. But the concept was already being demonstrated decades before HD televisions became normal.

Satellite television receivers, digital television technologies and improved audio systems also appeared during this period.

The living room was becoming increasingly electronic.

The 1990s: The Multimedia Revolution

During the 1990s, the distinction between television, computers, telecommunications and entertainment started disappearing.

IFA increasingly became a multimedia exhibition.

Digital broadcasting, mobile phones, computers, flat-panel displays and new digital storage formats were transforming consumer electronics.

This was an important transition.

IFA was no longer simply about devices that received information.

Increasingly, technology allowed consumers to create, store, manipulate and share information themselves.

That transformation would eventually lead to smartphones, social media and today's creator economy.

The 2000s: Flat Screens, Digital Cameras and the Connected World

Anyone visiting IFA during the 2000s would have seen another enormous technological transition.

Bulky CRT televisions were disappearing.

In their place came:

LCD and plasma televisions, digital cameras, MP3 players, laptops, increasingly powerful mobile phones and home entertainment systems.

In 2005, IFA also changed from an event held every two years to an annual exhibition.

Another major change followed in 2008, when home appliances became an important part of IFA.

Refrigerators, washing machines, coffee machines and other household devices joined televisions, cameras and audio equipment.

Consumer electronics and household technology were beginning to merge.

The 2010s: Smartphones, 4K and Smart Homes

By the 2010s, technology was no longer simply something sitting on a desk or television cabinet.

It was everywhere.

IFA exhibitions increasingly featured smartphones, tablets, wearables, 4K and 8K televisions, drones, connected appliances, smart-home systems and voice assistants.

A refrigerator could connect to the internet.

A watch could measure your heart rate.

A television could stream content from anywhere in the world.

A speaker could respond to your voice.

The idea of the "connected home" became one of the central themes of consumer technology.

The 2020s: AI Enters Everything

The newest chapter of IFA history is being shaped by artificial intelligence.

AI is appearing inside televisions, computers, smartphones, cameras, robots and household appliances.

At the same time, companies are increasingly focusing on robotics, energy efficiency, sustainability, smart homes and new ways for humans to interact with machines.

IFA celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2024.

That anniversary puts the speed of technological development into perspective.

A visitor arriving at the exhibition in 1924 might have been amazed by a radio receiver.

A visitor today can encounter AI-powered computers, enormous OLED displays, household robots and devices capable of communicating with hundreds of other products.

Yet both visitors are essentially doing the same thing:

looking at technology and wondering how it might change their lives.

IFA Is Also a Piece of Berlin History

Perhaps the most interesting thing about IFA is that its history cannot really be separated from Berlin itself.

The exhibition survived political upheaval, dictatorship, war, the division of Germany, the Cold War, German reunification, the internet revolution and the rise of artificial intelligence.

The Berlin Funkturm, built during the earliest years of the exhibition, still stands above the Messe Berlin grounds.

And more than a century after people gathered there to discover the latest radio receivers, visitors continue arriving in Berlin to see what technology might come next.

From radio to television, colour TV, video, CDs, HDTV, digital cameras, smartphones, smart homes and artificial intelligence, IFA has documented an extraordinary century of technological change.

In many ways, walking through IFA isn't just about seeing new gadgets.

It is like walking through the past, present and future of consumer technology — all in one place.

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