Organisers of consumer electronics show IFA unveiled plans to return to a full physical scale for its event in September, the latest major industry conference to announce a return to an in-person format.

In 2020, IFA Berlin bucked the trend by being one of the few technology events to press-on with an in-person conference despite the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, though in a hugely scaled back form.

IFA 2020 ran with a strict guest list and a limited number of participants able to attend each strand. Its main sessions were available online with the majority of these also presented remotely.

In a statement, IFA executive director Jens Heithecker said 2021 would mark the “full-scale comeback” of the event, though warned it did not expect to “set new records” given precautions likely to be put in place to protect the health of delegates.

“As always, keeping our visitors and exhibitors safe is our top priority,” he added. “The global vaccination effort is gaining huge momentum, while tough lockdowns are finally beginning to pay off, which gives us confidence that we can invite the world to come to Berlin in September for IFA 2021.”

IFA Berlin is scheduled to take place on 3 September to 7 September at its usual venue of Messe Berlin.

The announcement comes as preparations for industry events across a range of sectors continue to be made, with MWC Barcelona 2021 set to go ahead in late June and other sectors such as the automotive and travel industries gearing-up for their event calendars to return.