ShowStoppers to produce official press events at IFA 2008 & 2009

Trade fair in Berlin is one of the world’s largest consumer electronics shows

BERLIN, GERMANY and AUSTIN, TX., USA, 12 Dec. 2007 -- ShowStoppers® today announced it will produce the official press events at IFA, the trade fair that increasingly defines the future of digital technologies for work, home and play while driving worldwide growth of the international consumer electronics industry.

Plans for the fair, the press event and related activities will be announced at a press breakfast scheduled for Tuesday, 8 Jan. 2008, during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.

“This is the first-step in a multi-year agreement for 2008, 2009 and beyond that opens the door to more global growth for both ShowStoppers and IFA,” said Jens Heithecker, director of IFA. IFA 2008 takes place 29 August through 3 September 2008 in Berlin, Germany.

“Our goal is to highlight the global importance of IFA to North American exhibitors, trade visitors and media representatives. IFA is the perfect venue to build new business relationships, meet, network and conduct business with retailers, buyers and the “who’s who” of the international CE industry,” said Heithecker.

“We are creating a better way to introduce a new product, to sneak preview a new service, to launch a new company, to meet the press, on the global stage,” said Steve Leon, partner, ShowStoppers.

“ShowStoppers has done this for 15 years at selected tradeshows, including CES in Las Vegas. Now we add IFA as a strong and important partner. This makes it easy for companies that sponsor ShowStoppers events to meet the press at the two most important consumer electronics shows on the planet,” said Leon.

“At the same time, this is an exciting and significant milestone in the continuing evolution of ShowStoppers into a global business tool,” said Leon. “By working with world-class partners, we propel hot products into new international markets -- and we help companies score more coverage and shake hands with new buyers.”

About IFA

IFA is one of the largest consumer electronics trade shows in the world. It combines innovation and the technology of tomorrow with business sales and entertainment. According to published statistics, more than 1,200 companies from 32 countries exhibited at IFA 2007, covering a net space of more than 103,000 m2. More than 6,600 press attended IFA 2007, including 1,371 international journalists from 62 countries. Sales at the 2007 show totaled €2.75 billion. The number of trade visitors attending the show in 2007 jumped 7.5 percent to 101,358. The overall number of attendees jumped 5 percent to a total of 223,000 – making IFA nearly 60 percent larger than the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) held each year in Las Vegas.

IFA is organized by Messe Berlin and owned by Gesellschaft für Unterhaltungs und Kommunikationselektronik (gfu). Messe Berlin produces regional, national and international trade shows, exhibitions and conventions. Gfu is the Association for Consumer and Communications Electronics.

About ShowStoppers

ShowStoppers is the only producer of press-only special events with global experience and expertise. ShowStoppers has hosted the PC World awards for six consecutive years and is a partner with IFA, Messe Berlin, and the Bluetooth SIG, PR Newswire, the Austin Wireless Alliance, Women in Technology International, and Gadgetoff.

ShowStoppers events are regularly attended by, among others, ABC, CBS, BBC, Bloomberg, CNN, NPR, the Wall Street Journal, This Old House Magazine, Business Week, Consumer Reports, engadget, Fortune, Forbes, Good Housekeeping, Into Tomorrow with Dave Graveline, Maxim, Money, Outlook 4Mobility, the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Stuff, USA Today, C/Net, Dow Jones, eWeek, IDC, InfoWorld, Jupiter Research, Network World, Newsweek, PC Magazine, PC World, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, USA Today and ZD Net.

The next ShowStoppers events are ShowStoppers @ CES, 7 Jan. 2008; and ShowStoppers @ the Mobile World Congress, 10 Feb. 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. For details on how to participate as a sponsor, contact Dave Leon, director of sales for ShowStoppers, at 845-638-3527.

Contacts:

Steve Leon
Partner
ShowStoppers
512-288-0950

Anja Schenk
IFA Press Officer
Messe Berlin GmbH
+49 (30) 3038-2217