LG To Take Part In IFA 2020 As Samsung Opts Out

LG Electronics will hold a press conference at the upcoming IFA 2020 tradeshow which is set to take place in September, the company said.

The company's chief technology officer, IP Park, will speak during IFA 2020's opening day. Over the past two years, Park has spoken at IFA 2018 and CES 2019.

This year's iteration of IFA is set to run from September 3 to 5 in Berlin. Unlike previous years however, the tradeshow will not be open to the general public and only a limited number of visitors from companies and media will be allowed entry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The event organiser, Messe Berlin, previously said IFA 2020 is working with German authorities to implement health guidelines. LG, meanwhile, has said it would actively impose social distancing measures for its press conference as well.

In addition to announcing its upcoming attendance at IFA 2020, LG added that the rise of remote work and online education had raised the importance of life at home and that it would show off its future home appliance vision at the tradeshow.

Earlier this year, LG was one of the first companies to pull out of MWC 2020 before the event was eventually cancelled due to COVID-19 fears.

The South Korean electronics giant recently said it expected a 24% year-on-year drop in its operating profits for the second quarter due to the impacts of COVID-19. Despite this, its home appliance business is still expected to be its biggest earnings contributor.

Meanwhile, compatriot Samsung Electronics has opted out of attending IFA 2020. It will host its own digital event in September instead.

"We have taken the exciting decision to share our latest news and announcements at our own digital event in early September. While Samsung will not be participating in IFA 2020, we look forward to our continued partnership with IFA in the future," Samsung said in a statement to ZDNet.

Samsung is expected to have its second-quarter operating profits rise by 23% as its consumer electronics business has fared better than initial expectations over the impacts of COVID-19. 

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