Potsdam/Palo Alto. Several hundred innovation experts from all over the world will be meeting in September with Design Thinking pioneers in Potsdam near Berlin to discuss future-oriented models and methods. Innovative solutions for the fields of management, research and education will be a further focus area. The event, called “d.confestival,” is taking place from 20-22 September. In its form combining conference and festival, a unique working atmosphere is created synthesizing creativity and productivity. Online registration is now possible under www.hpi.dconfestival.net.

The new event format will bring together for the first time managers, trainers and researchers who focus on innovation and innovative team work. Prominent participants will be, among others, the founder of SAP and Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI), Prof. Hasso Plattner, as well as Design Thinking pioneer David Kelley. Also present will be creative trailblazers, such as Oliviero Toscani, the mind behind the much-discussed Bennetton campaign. Companies such as Metro, Deutsche Bank and Deutsche Telekom have already confirmed their participation as well. Interactive presentations and workshop formats, a global innovation task as well as an exhibition area provide an international atmosphere and multiple opportunities for networking.

Host of the first worldwide d.confestival is the HPI School of Design Thinking, at Hasso Plattner Institute (http://www.hpi.uni-potsdam.de) in Potsdam. This is the first innovation school in Europe for university students and is based on the model of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford University in Palo Alto (http://dschool.stanford.edu). Since 2007, the institute in Potsdam has offered additional academic training in Design Thinking, an opportunity unique in all of Germany.

The wishes and needs of the users and customers themselves are the focal point of Design Thinking. A fundamental distinction is therefore made in the process, setting it apart from traditional innovation methods in science and practice. Here, needs are usually defined from the point of view of technical feasibility or economic marketability. Design Thinking goes beyond this by synthesizing the interdisciplinary strengths of many problem solving strategies, thought patterns and communication cultures. 

"We are looking forward to this visit by creative lateral thinkers and innovators from all over the world and from completely different fields of activity. They will discuss, dispute and together create something new and exciting."

Prof. Christoph Meinel, Director of the Hasso Plattner Institute in Potsdam

 "The connected working world of the future will become a reality for three days in Potsdam. The d.confestival is the beginning of a new, interactive and collaborative event format combining the seriousness of a scientific conference with the lightheartedness of a festival."

Prof. Ulrich Weinberg, Director of the HPI School of Design Thinking

If you're looking for the d.confestival logo and some pics, please follow the links.

Pressrelease as a PDF.