Vitesy at IFA 2023: How EIC trade fair support accelerated market entry in Europe and North America

Brussels, February 20th 2024

Summary

›Vitesy used EIC support and an EIC-backed booth at IFA 2023 to secure advanced negotiations with EU and North American distributors and with multinational appliance brands.
›The EIC Overseas Trade Fairs programme reduced participation costs and provided pre-show coaching that Vitesy says increased the return on its investment.
›Vitesy expects substantial initial orders in Q1 and Q2 of 2024 for major EU and North American markets and aims to triple revenue in 2024 versus 2023.
›Practical exhibitor lessons include prioritising booth visibility, booking fixed slots for existing partners, saving mobile numbers beforehand, and using bold problem-led messaging and video.
›EIC International Trade Fairs Programme 3.0 continues to support EIC beneficiaries at targeted trade fairs in EU, MENA and the USA but outcomes depend on long sales cycles and careful partner selection.

Overview

Vitesy, an Italian company that builds consumer and B2B air quality and food preservation devices, credits participation in the EIC-supported pavilion at IFA 2023 with materially accelerating its international commercialisation. The company reports two categories of business leads from the show. The first are B2C distributors in Europe and North America where Vitesy says its products are fully regulatory compliant. The second are multinational white goods brands interested in joint projects. Vitesy says many distributor talks are at an advanced stage and could convert into substantial initial orders between the first and second quarters of 2024.

What happened at IFA 2023 and why it mattered for Vitesy

Vitesy was one of the companies selected to exhibit within the European Innovation Council pavilion under the Overseas Trade Fairs Programme 2.0. The company highlights three concrete effects from the participation. First, the EIC booth location delivered high footfall and spontaneous meetings that generated unexpected, high-value leads. Second, the EIC support reduced the financial and logistical burden of fair participation which improved the return on the company investment. Third, pre-show workshops and briefings helped prepare the team to perform on site even though Vitesy already had internal trade show experience.

Lead categories identified at IFA 2023:Vitesy reports two main types of leads. The first are B2C distributors focused on European and North American markets where the company is prioritising expansion. The second are multinational appliance brands in the white goods sector that may collaborate on integrated or co-developed projects. Distributor negotiations have moved quickly into agreement and order definition stages. Talks with large multinational brands have advanced but remain longer and more complex.

Lead type	Region focus	Status reported by Vitesy	Commercial implication
B2C Distributors	EU and North America	Advanced negotiations, agreement and initial order phases	Potential substantial initial orders in Q1 and Q2 2024
Multinational White Goods Brands	Global	Longer, more complex negotiations but progressing	Potential strategic projects with selective partner choice

How the EIC programme supported the result and what to treat cautiously

Vitesy emphasises that the EIC-provided booth was small but well located and visually effective. The company also points to EIC preparatory workshops and administrative facilitation as instrumental. Those are standard offerings in the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme which bundles visibility, coaching and logistical help to lower participation costs for beneficiaries. That said, converting leads into durable revenue requires follow-up, contract negotiation, regulatory checks and supply chain readiness. Deals with multinational brands can take many months or longer especially where integration or IP protection is involved. The optimistic language used by participants about exponential ROI and rapid conversion should be considered a favourable early indicator rather than proof of sustained commercial success.

Why booth location and visibility matter:High traffic placement in front of a main entrance creates opportunities for spontaneous meetings. Vitesy says many of their most interesting leads were not pre-booked. For companies with limited exhibition space, strong visual elements and looping video can attract passersby and trigger unplanned conversations.

Practical lessons from Vitesy for trade show participants

Vitesy shared operational and strategic tips that are applicable for both first time exhibitors and experienced teams. The advice balances lead generation with relationship management and underlines simple operational readiness that avoids lost opportunities on a crowded floor.

Agenda management:Book fixed time slots with existing partners to avoid missing spontaneous new leads. Fixed sessions give better control of the booth schedule and reduce the chance of losing walk-up prospects during long incumbent meetings.

Operational preparedness:Save key partners' mobile phone numbers on your device to enable quick calls. Relying only on email can slow down coordination and cost you new conversations while you are engaged with other visitors.

Visual and messaging tactics:Invest in display monitors and short videos to catch attention. Use large, bold words that emphasise the problem your product addresses rather than the product name. Vitesy reported high conversion from displaying the words FOOD WASTE rather than focusing only on the product name SHELFY.

Product context and company trajectory

Vitesy started in 2016 with a compact biophilic air purifier funded by crowdfunding. The company released NATEDE in 2018 as an evolution of its first product and added the compact purifier ETERIA in 2020 as it intensified B2B scouting and sales. In October 2023 Vitesy prepared to launch SHELFY. Shelfy is designed to use air purification technology to extend fresh food shelf life in domestic refrigerators. The company combines consumer hardware, air quality technology and product design aimed at both consumer and B2B channels.

Shelfy explained:Shelfy is a refrigerator accessory that applies air purification methods to reduce food spoilage and extend shelf life. The underlying approach uses controlled airflow, filtration, or reactive adsorption to manage the micro-environment around fresh produce. Extending fridge shelf life can reduce food waste and create value for consumers and retailers but requires validation in real world supply chains and adherence to appliance safety standards.

Vitesy growth ambitions and international strategy

Following IFA and other events, Vitesy set an internal target to grow threefold in 2024 compared to 2023. The company expects a significant portion of that growth to come from distribution partnerships initiated at IFA and from selected multinational collaborations. Vitesy also participated in GITEX in Dubai to build presence in the MENA region which Vitesy considers strategically important after consolidating distribution in Europe and North America. The company already plans a larger stand at IFA 2024 and hopes to present a new product there.

A realistic assessment requires noting that early leads, even if advanced, can fall away during due diligence, contractual negotiation or because of supply chain constraints. Having alternative partners is a sensible tactic to avoid lock-in and to accelerate go to market when primary partners do not deliver.

About the EIC International Trade Fairs Programme and its successor

The EIC International Trade Fairs Programme started as the Overseas Trade Fairs pilot and evolved into successive versions. The 2022 2023 iteration was promoted as OTF Programme 2.0. From 2024 the scheme continued under ITF 3.0 and expanded to run through 2026. The programme selects EIC awardees from EU Member States and associated countries to attend major trade fairs across three regions. Services typically include booth space at an EIC or EU pavilion, pre departure market briefings, cultural and IP coaching, B2B matchmaking and follow up support.

What ITF 3.0 offers participants:End to end coaching for internationalisation, pre departure briefings, tailored coaching including cultural and IP guidance, matchmaking and customised on site services. The programme targets four sectoral areas across three regions namely biotech and pharma, health and medical care, clean tech environment and energy, and new technologies and industrial technologies.

Trade fair	Location	Dates listed by EIC	Region
CES International	Las Vegas, USA	6 to 9 January 2026	USA
Mobile World Congress	Barcelona, Spain	2 to 5 March 2026	EU
GITEX Africa	Marrakech, Morocco	7 to 9 April 2026	MENA
BIO International Convention	Boston, USA	22 to 25 June 2026	USA
GITEX Europe	Berlin, Germany	30 June to 1 July 2026	EU
GITEX Global	Dubai, UAE	9 to 11 December 2026	MENA

Selection to the EIC programme requires being an EIC beneficiary and applying for each fair through an open call. External experts review applications and selection is competitive. The programme aims to lower financial barriers for trade fair participation and to amplify EU innovation branding abroad.

About IFA and why it matters

IFA in Berlin is one of the largest consumer electronics and home appliance trade shows globally. It historically served as a launch platform for major consumer technologies and continues to gather manufacturers, retailers and industry decision makers. For exhibitors in consumer appliances and connected home categories IFA offers concentrated access to distributors, buyers and press from Europe and beyond.

Practical advice for prospective applicants to EIC trade fair support

Vitesy recommends practical steps to make the most of an EIC-backed exhibition slot. These are tactical and inexpensive measures that improve conversion of casual visits into business opportunities.

Content and display:Use looped videos on monitors to catch attention. Messages should highlight the problem you solve in large text. Curate existing video assets to cover the product range rather than producing expensive new material.

Stand staffing and scheduling:Plan fixed appointments for known partners to preserve time for spontaneous visitors and new leads. Train staff to capture contact details quickly and to escalate high quality leads for immediate follow up.

Assessing impact and managing expectations

EIC-backed exhibition participation can provide a disproportionate visibility boost for small teams. That advantage is real but it is not a substitute for robust go to market execution. Converting visibility into revenue requires legal and commercial diligence, distribution logistics, after sales support capabilities and a clear pricing and margin model for each target market.

Vitesy appears to be following a pragmatic path by pursuing alternative partners simultaneously and by guarding IP and technology concentration when negotiating with multinational brands. That approach mitigates some of the risks associated with dependency on a single partner and preserves leverage during commercial negotiations.

About Vitesy

Founded in 2016, Vitesy entered the market with a compact biophilic air purifier financed by crowdfunding. The company launched NATEDE in 2018 and added the ETERIA purifier in 2020 while stepping up B2B sales activity. In late 2023 Vitesy prepared SHELFY a refrigerator add on designed to extend fresh food shelf life using air purification technology.

About the EIC International Trade Fairs and USA Soft Landing Programme 3.0

The EIC ITF 3.0 supports EIC awardees to promote commercialisation in foreign markets at a limited set of major trade fairs. It is open to EIC-funded SMEs start ups and scale ups from EU Member States and associated countries. The programme offers pavilions coaching matchmaking and logistical support designed to raise the visibility of EU deep tech and to create business opportunities abroad.

For companies considering application the main practical requirements are alignment of product and market with the trade fair sector readiness for international distribution and the status of EIC awardee eligibility. Calls open roughly six months before events and selection uses external expert review.

Where to find more information

EIC beneficiaries can consult the EIC Community platform for open calls resources and stories about previous participants. The EIC publishes factsheets and FAQ documents describing selection criteria and services. Companies preparing to scale internationally should combine such programmes with internal investment in commercial operations supply chain and regulatory pathways for their target markets.