Bringing people together to exchange ideas is one of the most powerful ways to foster innovation and instill change. However, doing it right is not easy. Too many conferences are dull events filled with uninspiring keynote speeches and boring panels. Instead, events need to be carefully orchestrated to generate insight and bring lasting value to participants.
I’ve been involved in organizing international events since I worked for International IDEA in Stockholm. I probably learned the most about collaborative insight and event design during my time at the World Economic Forum. The Forum is the world’s foremost platform for exchange between high-level representatives from business, government, academia, and society. It is arguably the most professional organization when it comes to designing meaningful interactions.
During my time at the World Economic Forum, I helped organize and run ten major global conferences (three Annual Meetings in Davos, two Summits on the Global Agenda in Dubai, two Annual Meetings of the New Champions in Dalian and Tianjin, Global Redesign Summit in Doha, World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, World Economic Forum on East Asia in Jakarta) and five smaller meetings in Germany, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, and Switzerland with partners from academia and governments.
As Program Director at a leading business school, my focus was on designing academic degree programs. Nevertheless, I also developed shorter events, such as the workshops in the Creative Complexity series and our yearly introduction week for incoming Bachelor students.
As founder and Charter President of Professional Speakers Frankfurt and as Area Director for Toastmasters International Area D95-F3, I frequently organize and run workshops, speech contests, and training sessions.