REIMAGING EVENTS AND TRADE FAIRS

The last two and a half years have been a very instructive time for the congress and event industry. Many new formats and business models have emerged to promote networking and exchange in the future or to be a platform for future solutions.

Düsseldorf is the venue for five matches of the 2024 European Men‘s Football Championship. Around 5 billion TV viewers worldwide and around 3 million spectators in the stadiums are expected at the EURO. We asked Thomas Neuhäuser, the city‘s project manager, about the preparations for this mega-event and what the EURO means for Düsseldorf. 

After ten years, one of the biggest global music events is returning to Germany: the MTV EMAs 2022 will take place in Düsseldorf for the first time on the 13th of November! The show at the PSD BANK DOME with numerous major stars will be broadcast live on MTV in more than 170 countries.

Every year, thousands of young people celebrate Japanese pop culture at the DoKomi trade fair. Where better to do that than here in Düsseldorf?

An analogue haven in the digital age: at the Kunstgießerei Schmäke, individual works of art are sculpted, cast and assembled in the fifth generation. Many internationally renowned artists highly value its services.

The bakery trade is one of the oldest commercial crafts in the world with centuries of tradition. Baked goods are particularly popular in Germany. Whether it‘s a breakfast roll, a midday snack or a traditional supper, you can have something fresh from the bakery at any time of day. The variety of German bread is greater than in any other country. There are said to be around 3,200 different bread specialities in total. They are produced in almost 10,000 companies by around 240,000 employees. This makes the bakery trade one of the most important crafts in the country. Düsseldorf is also home to a large number of traditional bakeries that supply their customers with breads, rolls and pastries. We visited four of them!

The Digital Demo Day on 18 August 2022 once again impressively demonstrated what Düsseldorf has to offer for start-ups. The 6th edition of Germany‘s leading start-up trade fair and tech conference for the industry attracted over 200 tech start-ups as exhibitors and numerous industry representatives, entrepreneurs and pioneers to Areal Böhler. Presentations, discussions, learning and live and face-to-face networking took place around the future topics of sustainability, Metaverse and Hi- Tech NRW. In a live pitch, 12 teams presented their digital innovations to the audience - the winner was awarded 3,000 euros in prize money. The ecosystem for the start-up scene is thus growing and thriving magnificently - and also provides a good set up for the three start-ups we are presenting today: Luizzo, Glasbote and Mixup.

Altbier is a family affair in Düsseldorf. Local breweries embody the great beer tradition of the state capital. Schumacher Alt has been drunk since 1838 - at carnival, after work and just for the joy of it. A conversation with boss Thea Ungermann about the current challenges facing the hospitality sector, about family and management style, about home and life as a restaurateur. 

For over 30 years, the “Düsseldorfers of the Year 2021” Christiane Oxenfort and Andreas Dahmen, organisers of the Düsseldorf Festival, have been providing a stage for dance, theatre and modern circus from all over the world. Their white tent in the centre of the old town draws in the crowds at the annual autumn event.

A truly creative mind buzzing with energy and hip hop in his veins. This sums up Phillip Böndel, the Co-Founder & CEO of “The Ambition” and Managing Director of Digital Consulting at the agency BUTTER pretty well. It was no surprise then that he and VIVID editor Rainer Kunst had lots to talk about. How hip-hop can define your philosophy of life, for example, why agencies should be more courageous and Düsseldorf‘s need for more subculture.

Whether climate change, mobility or social change: cities are facing ever greater challenges. Seeing these as opportunities for new paths was the motivation of the Düsseldorf Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) to join forces with the regional business community for an exchange of ideas about the “City of the Future”.