What makes the Impact Festival special?
In recent years, Impact Festival has become one of the most influential platforms for knowledge exchange and collaboration in the field of sustainable transformation developed. After all, the festival has attracted thousands of participants from all over the world since its inception in 2021. Experts come together here to advocate for innovative solutions to tackle the most pressing challenges of our time. The Impact Festival is more than just a two-day event. It is a year-round movement that helps drive the sustainable transformation of our economy. At the fourth edition of the Impact Festival, which will take place this year from October 30 to 31, 2024 at the exhibition center in Frankfurt, we can once again look forward to a varied program and exciting exchange.
Who is behind the Impact Festival?
The initiator of the Impact Festival is Fabian Demuth, who studied Business Sustainability Management in Cambridge. He is supported by a diverse team that is committed to the vision of inspiring people to embrace sustainable transformation. The organization behind the Impact Festival is Neosfer, the innovation unit of Commerzbank. Neosfer invests in B2B start-ups in the early stages and develops prototypes based on new technologies. Neosfer’s vision is to drive transformation by bringing together people, technology and Capital brought together – for a future worth living.
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What program highlights await us at the Impact Festival 2024?
From gripping keynotes to expert talks and panel discussions - the Impact Festival 2024 promises a varied and inspiring program. A wide range of topics relating to sustainable transformation will be covered. We have put together some of the highlights that you can look forward to:
The Impact Stage
The Impact Stage is the main stage of the festival and features an impressive line-up of speakers who will share their expertise and visions for a more sustainable future.
Day 1 - October 30, 2024
- Opening: Petra Justenhoven, Spokesperson of the Board of Management of PwC Germany and Chair of the Board of Management of PwC Europe, will ceremoniously open the event.
- Financing the future economy: Katharina Beck, Deputy Chairwoman of the Finance Committee of the German Bundestag, and Silke Stremlau, Chairwoman of the Federal Government’s Sustainability Advisory Council, will discuss the future visions for a sustainable financial market to discuss.
- The energy transition and the role of different energy sources: Prof. Dr. Claudia Kemfert, Head of the Energy, Transport and Environment Department at the German Institute for Economic Research, Dr. Marie Jaroni, Executive Vice President Steel at thyssenkrupp, and Prof. Dr. Mojib Latif, climate researcher and oceanographer, will discuss the challenges and opportunities of Energy transition illuminate.
- carbon farming: Christian Holzleitner from the European Commission and Jaron Pazi, CCO of OCELL, will talk about the importance of carbon farming for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Beyond growth: Carlos Álvarez Pereira, Secretary General of the Club of Rome, Agata Meysner, President of Generation Climate Europe, and Prof. Dr. Stephan Hankammer, Dean of the Faculty of Economics at Alanus University, will discuss alternative approaches beyond the traditional growth paradigm.
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Day 2 - October 31, 2024
- Opening: Micha Fritz, activist and co-founder of Viva con Agua, will kick off the second day with an inspiring speech.
- Activism and corporate responsibility: Clover Hogan, climate activist and founder of Force of Nature, will talk about the importance of activism and corporate responsibility for the Climate protection speak.
- Climate and democracy: Jeannette Gusko, CEO of Correctiv, Prof. Dr. Dirk Messner, President of the Federal Environment Agency, Dr. Katharina Reuter, CEO of the Federation of German Industries, and Darya Sotodeeh, spokesperson for Fridays for Future, will discuss the role of democracy in tackling climate change.
- digitization: Author and journalist Sascha Lobo will provide an insight into developments in the digital world.
- Smart City approaches as local drivers for sustainability: Maral Koohestanian, City Councilor and Head of the Department of smart cities, Europe and Public Policy in Wiesbaden, and Hermann Meyersick, CEO Public Affairs Germany at Ströer Group, will discuss the implementation of sustainable Smart City concepts.
- Mechanical vs. chemical recycling: Timothy Glaz, Head of Corporate Affairs at Werner & Mertz, will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of various Recycling approaches illuminate.
The Transformation Stage
On the Transformation Stage we gain practical insights into successful transformation processes and the implementation of sustainability measures. Some highlights are:
Day 1 - October 30, 2024
- Fit for the future with regenerative leadership with Marc Buckley, ecological economist and regenerative futurist
- Group-wide orchestration of sustainability using the example of the Otto Group with Prof. Dr. Tobias Wollermann, Group Vice President Corporate Responsibility at the Otto Group
- Start-up strategy of the Federal Government with Dr. Anna Christmann, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Start-ups, and Anne Decker, CEO of wattx
- Re:thinking Sustainability using the example of Reckhaus with Dr. Hans-Dietrich Reckhaus, founder of Insect Respect & Chief Transformation Partner at Reckhaus GmbH & Co. KG, and Anne-Kathrin Vorwald, author
- Sustainability in SMEs - between innovative spirit and regulation
- Beware of greenwashing - how to communicate correctly with Nuvia Maslo, CMO/CCO of Verso, Christoph Helfrich, Managing Partner of LGX Logistics, and Rafael Rybandt, Brandlead Green Petfood
- Coworking: How a large international company works in partnership and on an equal footing with a start-up to jointly promote biodiversity
- Climate anxiety and mental strength with Jennifer Wendland, freediving world champion
- Living diversity in organizations
- Inner Development Goals: A Guide to Implementation with Laila Martins, founder and CEO of RegenBeings
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Day 2 - October 31, 2024
- Opening: Kaweh Mansoori, Hessian Minister for Economic Affairs, Energy, Transport and Housing, will speak about the future organization of work.
- ESG data
- Data, Risk & Regulation: Benedikt Buchspies, Senior Scientist at Planet A Ventures, will talk about life cycle analysis and Biodiversity report.
- ISC3 Investor Forum: Financing measures for sustainable textiles and chemicals
- Gender equality in finance: Driving a sustainable transformation
Other exciting programme items
In addition to the main stages, the Impact Festival 2024 offers a variety of other formats. These are intended to help visitors deepen their knowledge on the topic of sustainable transformation and gather new inspiration:
- Interactive workshops on specific sustainability topics, led by renowned experts
- Solution Stage – Pitch Day: Pitches of innovative start-ups and scale-ups followed by Q&A rounds with the jury of investors and partners
- Solution Stage – Use Cases: Presentation of examples of successful cooperation between start-ups, SMEs and established companies
- Exclusive lounge and program for investorsto learn the latest investment trends and share their expertise with like-minded people.
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The Impact Award: Recognition for pioneers of transformation
The Impact Festival recognizes companies that have a positive impact on society and the environment with their solutions and business models. The Impact Award honors these pioneers of sustainable transformation in two categories:
- Solution Award: Start-ups with particularly sustainable and effective business models are recognized here.
- Transformation Award: This category honors medium-sized companies that have successfully transformed their business models towards greater sustainability and thus serve as beacons of sustainable transformation.
The winners will have the opportunity to present their innovations or transformation journeys on the Impact Stage and share their thought leadership.
Sustainable get-together
The Impact Festival is not only committed to sustainability in terms of content, but also places great emphasis on the implementation of sustainable principles and measures when organizing the event itself. The organizing team is guided by the United Nations' sustainability goals and the European Green DealThe festival strives to be a role model for sustainable event organisation.
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Conclusion: The Impact Festival 2024 initiates sustainable changes
The Impact Festival 2024 offers a unique stage for innovative technologies and brings together innovators, investors and political stakeholders. This gives visitors the opportunity to become part of a growing movement that is driving the sustainable transformation of the economy. At the Impact Festival we have the opportunity to increase our own visibility, share our expertise, gain new insights and expand our own network. The Impact Festival thus creates a place to shape a better future together. Tickets and more information are available at impact-festival.earth.
