The new, revamped CEBIT kicks off on Monday, 11 June, with an action-packed, star-studded conference program. That’s right: the exhibition halls don’t actually open to visitors until the Tuesday, but there will be plenty happening on Take-off Monday with a top-notch digitization-themed program that includes an array of speaking events in the conference area of Hall 19, plus the Welcome Night evening event in Hall 11.
Opening with VR legend Jaron Lanier
The first highlight of the day will come when Jaron Lanier gives the Take-off Monday keynote address. Lanier is the barefoot philosopher of the digital world, known both as a pioneer of virtual reality and one of the fiercest critics of the Internet. He is an American computer scientist, entrepreneur, composer and author. Currently a scientist at Microsoft Research, his fundamental criticism of the business models of the world’s major Internet companies won him the 2014 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade.
Future Work Forum
The keynote will be followed by the Future Work Forum, which will discuss ways of harnessing the opportunities of digitization for business and work and allaying fears about job losses and de-skilling in the workforce. The Forum speakers include Christiane Benner, Second Chairperson of Germany’s IG Metall trade union, and Dr. Dieter Spath, President of Germany’s National Academy of Science and Technology (acatech) and Co-Chair of the academy’s Learning Systems platform.
Who benefits from digitization?
Another key part of the Take-off Monday program is the CEBIT Executive Talk. This event will be devoted the question as to how today’s increasingly powerful digital technologies can be used to deliver economic growth and prosperity and strengthen social cohesion. The speaker lineup includes Federation of German Industries (BDI) President Dr. Dieter Kempf, Fraunhofer Society President Dr. Reimund Neugebauer, and Accenture GmbH Chairman Frank Riemensperger.
Additional digitization-themed forums and discussion events featuring big-name representatives from business and government are in the pipeline.
CEBIT Monday: how to participate
To participate at the Take-off Monday conferences, you must have a valid full-event CEBIT ticket. You also need to register for each individual Take-off Monday event that you want to take part in. Registration is via the CEBIT website at www.cebit.de and opens at the start of March.
Participation in the CEBIT Welcome Night at 6 p.m. in Hall 11 is by invitation only.
Important note: The exhibition halls and the d!campus do not open until Tuesday, 12 June.