I’ve attended hundreds of trade shows, but I’ve never been been to one whose spirit is represented by a human spokesmascot. Until now, that is.

I’m in Berlin to attend this week’s IFA, a giant event that’s the European equivalent of the U.S.’s Consumer Electronics Show. And IFA has Miss IFA, who “represents the dynamic and cosmopolitan image of the IFA and the city of Berlin,” according to the show’s organizers, Messe Berlin. “She invites visitors to explore industry highlights, find out the latest information, and discover the vast range of products at one of the world’s leading trade fairs for consumer electronics, and starting in 2008, for Home Appliances.”

Miss IFA has extremely red hair, an extremely red dress, and extremely red shoes–she’s “the young lady with the fiery ginger looks,” according to Messe Berlin. She didn’t have all that much to say when she attended a press conference this afternoon, but she apparently never met a piece of consumer electronics she didn’t like. Here she is in a bunch of stock shots produced for this year’s show, some of which were taken at Berlin landmarks such as the Brandenburg Gate. (More pix after the jump.)

As mentioned above–and in contrast to CES–the IFA show includes traditional appliances as well as electronic stuff. Miss IFA is pretty enthusiastic about them, too. I’m not sure, though, what she intends to do with a clotheswasher or dishwasher in the middle of a field–or whether she intends to tidy up that field by vacuuming it…

“The new fridge-freezer combination Colorglass Edition by Bosch is delighting Miss IFA,” reads the caption to the picture below. That’s a relief–from the looks of things, I was worried that it was taken moments before she was flattened underneath it.

And just to prove that Miss IFA is indeed real, here’s my lousy photo of her working the floor at tonight’s Showstoppers press reception:

IFA is just getting underway today; I’ll report back with more news–most likely not involving Miss IFA–throughout the week. (And full disclosure: I’m here as a speaker at three sessions during the conference, and am being paid a fee for doing so.)

 
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