Leif Lindner, CEO of IFA Management GmbH     

1. Why are you engaged as a Berlin-Partner? 

IFA and the city of Berlin are inseparably linked. Since 1924, Berlin has been our home. For us, Berlin is not just a venue, but part of our identity. At the same time, the Berlin Partner network brings together more than 250 partners and decision-makers from business, science, politics, sports, and culture. This very interaction is crucial when you aim not only to promote a location, but to actively shape it.  

2. What drives your company, and what are you currently working on? 

We are driven by our mission: Innovation For All. Our goal is to make innovation and technology accessible and tangible for everyone. This is what we work on every day.

Currently, preparations for IFA in September are in full swing: new formats have been curated and launched, such as the Retail Leaders Summit or a Robot Runway. At the same time, we are strengthening growth areas like content creation, computing & gaming, wellbeing & beauty tech, mobility, and IFA Next.

In September, we will not only showcase innovation, but—true to this year’s claim, “The Future Is Now”—present the future of innovation and technology.

3. What do you value about Berlin as a business location? 

Berlin uniquely combines creativity, technology, science, and entrepreneurial spirit. That is what makes it such a powerful location. Berlin is Germany’s leading tech hub, and at the same time, around 100,000 students are enrolled at the city’s four major universities—about one fifth of them international students.

For IFA Berlin, this is ideal, as ideas quickly connect with talent, research, capital, and international visibility here.

4. What distinguishes your company in Berlin in terms of innovation, internationality, and collaboration? 

IFA Berlin is a platform where innovations and future technologies become visible, understandable, and relevant. With formats like IFA Next and new offerings for the retail sector, we create spaces where trends turn into concrete applications and business models.

Berlin is our starting point, but our perspective is global. IFA 2025 demonstrated this impressively: with around 220,000 visitors from 140 countries and more than 1,900 exhibitors from 49 countries. That is our ambition: from Berlin to the world.

At the same time, for us, innovation is only strong if it is open and accessible. IFA stands for “Innovation For All.” We are also committed to diversity, awareness, and clear anti-discrimination guidelines in our teams, with our partners, and within our programs—making IFA a platform for collaboration between society, business, and politics.

The IFA 2026 will take place from September 4 to September 8, 2026, at Messe Berlin.