Open Home Foundation is at IFA Berlin for the first time, but its debut stand is designed less as a showroom than as a place to take a breath. The living-room setup gives visitors somewhere to sit, talk and meet people from the communities around Home Assistant, ESPHome, Music Assistant and the foundation’s other projects. The booth is staffed by full-time and volunteer Open Home Foundation staff.
The foundation says the choice is deliberate: it has nothing to sell at the booth and no sales targets to hit. Demos and devices are there for anyone who is curious, but they are meant to start conversations rather than close a sale.
IFA is open to the public, not only journalists or trade visitors, and any attendee can stop by. The booth is in the Smart Home Hall at Hall 1.2, stand 153, through Tuesday, September 8. The invitation is uncomplicated: come in, sit down and stay awhile.