Climate change doesn’t take a break

The Greentech Festival for green technologies and a sustainable lifestyle recently presented a new concept for 2020 with Audi as founding partner.

Motivated even under the changing circumstances of the global Covid-19 pandemic, and spurred on by the unwavering support of the GTF community, the festival has used the current situation as an incubator to develop innovative content, an even more global focus and a technical enhancement of all its modules.

Ramona Pop, Nico Rosberg and Marco Voigt during day 1 of the Greentech Festival. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

Working with multiple strong partners — and Audi as the newest supporter — the implementation of GREENTECH FESTIVAL’s new concept is going at full speed ahead.

Shortly before Germany’s Day of Digitalization, GREENTECH FESTIVAL introduces its new hybrid concept, adapted for COVID-19 social distancing with both digital and in-person content. The festival team intensively used the time in lockdown to develop fresh content and reframe the festival’s execution. Herein came the conscious decision not to forgo the impact and atmosphere achieved through a live event, much less cancel it.

Instead, the three founders Nico Rosberg, Marco Voigt and Sven Krüger have, with their team, developed a pioneering festival that will combine the merits of both virtual and in-person presence and simultaneously remain flexible enough to adapt to all scenarios of a possible second wave.

“We are staying strong with our festival motto “celebrate change”, even in these circumstances. We are convinced that we can use the current situation to have a positive change – that we must. Change has been a part of our DNA from the beginning: constantly questioning ourselves and, when necessary, reformatting is what moves us forward,” says Marco Voigt (co-founder GREENTECH FESTIVAL), explaining the decision of the new concept.

Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

“This adaptation is, of course, a challenge — most notably because we know we are not taking the path of least resistance which would simply be cancelling all live events. Our 2020 festival combines the emotional power of an in-person, live event with the flexibility and reach provided by online formats. And we want to push the inclusion of more digital elements in the coming years too, especially in the sense of being more sustainable.

“But of course, we are not taking anything lightly,” continues Voigt, “We comply with all the provisions stipulated by the federal government and guarantee an extensive hygiene concept and the highest level of safety for everyone involved.”

What is changing and what remains The modular structure of the festival remains the same, as well as the core modules: CONFERENCE powered by Salesforce, AWARDS powered by Audi, CONCERT powered by MagentaMusik360 and the EXHIBITION. This backbone of the festival will be enhanced by comprehensive digital components.

Alongside livestreams of almost all content, the creators of the festival want to record the wide-ranging content formats and therefore make them accessible to those who can’t be there in person or have time constraints. Planned additional elements include a virtual walkaround of the exhibition and the globally oriented SWITCH GREEN action.

Lucas di Grassi, Henrik Wenders, Nico Rosberg and Marco Voigt arrive for the Green Award at Kraftwerk Mitte on September 18, 2020 in Berlin, Germany. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

Through the new interweaving of all channels and content, all guests – regardless of whether they are there in person or tune in online – can access the digital content, wherein the digital options add to the on-site possibilities so that they also have a real value for the live guests and offer a complete, innovative hybrid experience. In addition, due to the digitalization of the content, many formats this year will be freely accessible.

Salua Moussawel (Live Love Recycle) Winner 2020 in the category Start-Up. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

“We want nothing less than to achieve the biggest possible impact through our festival and so we are firing on all channels and on all available mediums. Through highlights such as SWITCH GREEN – kind of a virtual showdown with the most inspirational green pioneers of our time – we want to grab people’s attention and empower them to make the next step in rethinking. In the current situation, we cannot let sustainability and environmental protection be left in the background, and we are not alone in thinking this. It is therefore particularly encouraging that we have a strong new partner on our side with Audi,” says Nico Rosberg (co-founder GREENTECH FESTIVAL).

Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

A reset button for economy and society

In addition to the unexpected positive effects on GREENTECH FESTIVAL, the event’s initiators also see the COVID-19 outbreak as a chance for positive change on an economic and societal level. This crisis offers the best opportunity for a truly needed, and long overdue, reset in both the economy and our personal, everyday undertakings in terms of sustainability. GREENTECH FESTIVAL does not let environmental themes and particularly solutions be pushed into the background, but rather shifts the focus towards them and, with an increasing number of people in its community, brings about the change for a green and technologically powered future. With this goal, the festival will from now on be supported by a big player from the automotive industry.

Ramona Pop during day 1 of the Greentech Festival at Kraftwerk Mitte. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

As a founding partner of the GREEN AWARDS, Audi has risen to the challenge to offer a stage to technological innovation and vehement change-makers and, from that, finds inspiration for its own projects and products.

Genica Schaefgen (Ecosia) winner 2020 in the category Impact. Photo: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival

“The new, long-term partnership with GREENTECH FESTIVAL highlights that sustainability is clearly on the agenda of the four rings. We are excited to be on board as a founding partner and to, at the GREEN AWARDS, encourage and support new, sustainable ideas that make a contribution to a better, livable future. With this we want to expressly encourage innovators to go further with their ideas,” says Henrik Wenders, Senior Vice President Brand Audi.

www.greentechfestival.com