IFA Berlin should still happen in 2020, but following German legislation banning all events with over 5000 participants until 24 October it will involve what organisers gfu and Messe Berlin describe as an "innovative new concept."

The organisers say they have been discussing the development, not to mention a range of alternative concepts, for the past few weeks. They fail to actually detail what such concepts entail, but say IFA 2020 will still deliver a global showcase for technology innovation, as well as a meeting place for brands, manufacturers, retailers and the media.

According to GfK, the current lockdowns have lead to consumers buying of all manner of CE, from PCs and notebooks to TVs and gaming consoles, as Europeans look for means to both work and play during the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) pandemic.

However, one has to keep in mind many stores are closed, and online sales cannot fully offset the "significant" losses in the big 5 European markets-- Great Britain, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. That said, GfK points out consumers are looking for means to cope with life during this "new normal," and retailers and manufacturers need to understand what purchases are preponed and postponed in order to secure the relevant and essential assortment.

In terms of "extraordinary" sales spikes, working from home has driven up sales of monitor (120% Y-o-Y), printers (68% Y-o-Y), notebooks (62% Y-o-Y) and keyboards (61% Y-o-Y) in the 5 major European markets during the 4 weeks starting from 7 March to 5 April 2020 (weeks 11 to 14 of the pandemic). Webcams see the biggest sales growth at 297% Y-o-Y. Meanwhile the stockpiling of groceries has lead to more purchases of freezers and refrigerators. In Great Britain, freezer sales are up by 317% Y-o-Y, and in Germany such sales are up by 185% Y-o-Y. France also sees freezer sales growth of 44% Y-o-Y.

CEDIA calls for professionals in the residential technology installation industry to respond to a survey concerning the business impacts of the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) epidemic.

Conducted in collaboration with The Farnsworth Group, the survey covers topics including project bidding, ongoing jobs, impact on current operations and near-term outlook. So far it is seeking the participation of installers in the UK, US and Canada.

The 25 Gigabit Ethernet Consortium, the entity behind the 25, 50 and 100Gbps ethernet specifications, rebrands to the Ethernet Technology Consortium (ETC) and announces the next networking standard, 800 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE).

“Ethernet is evolving very quickly and as a group, we felt that having 25G in the name was too constraining for the scope of the consortium,” the organisation says. “We wanted to open that up so that the industry could have an organisation that could enhance ethernet specifications for new and developing markets.”

As the coronavirus (aka Covid-19) pandemic continues to affect the industry, CEDIA announced CEDIASTRONG, a program consisting of "sweeping" services and tools to empower, educate and inspire CEDIA members during these turbulent times.

According to the organisation, CEDIASTRONG provides members with free financial planning tools and services, technical training and webinars, career planning resources, online business roundtable discussions and marketing content for the local promotion of services. The initiative also includes a CEDIASTRONG fund to provide financial assistance to members in need, with the goal of awarding grants later in 2021.

“CEDIASTRONG was born from the COVID-19 pandemic and was designed to serve as a rallying cry for our industry,” CEDIA says. “Today, as people hunker down and work from their homes, technology solutions are all the more paramount, as is the role of the professionals who design and install them. We want to help members power through this challenging period and prepare them for the future to ensure they are ready to resume business as usual when this crisis is behind us.”

The coronavirus (aka Covid-19) pandemic leads to the cancellation of another trade event as AVIXA announces InfoComm 2020, set to take place in Las Vegas on 13-19 June, will no longer take place.

Initially the organisers were optimistic the show could go on, but following recommendations from the WHO and CDDC, not to mention the extreme circumstances and the size of the show, they decided not proceeding was the best choice.