From 22 to 25 October 2024, the Wherever Whenever – Work Culture Festival will celebrate its inaugural edition as part of Orgatec in Halls 6 and 9 of the Koelnmesse exhibition grounds.
Organised by the German Interior Business Association (IBA), the festival will present a high-calibre programme featuring over 100 international speakers across six stages. It will focus on groundbreaking trends and the transformations that modern work environments are undergoing.
With a line-up of exciting keynotes, panel discussions, interactive workshops and exhibitions, the Work Culture Festival is set to be one of the highlights at Orgatec 2024. The event is conceived and organised by the IBA, which acts as Orgatec's conceptual sponsor.
The festival's title, Wherever Whenever, encapsulates the idea that individuals can work productively anywhere, any time. The event is aimed at experts from the fields of architecture, design and culture, New Work, HR and trend research.
'We're delighted to be able to offer our visitors fresh impetus, inspiration and hands-on solutions for transforming the world of work with the IBA's Work Culture Festival,' says Orgatec Director Thomas Postert.
Helmut Link, president of the IBA, adds: 'The Work Culture Festival will enrich Orgatec as the sector's leading international trade fair with new experience components. The festival creates an interactive platform that will allow visitors to experience visions of the future and new forms of collaboration and coexistence first-hand. The event is aimed at everyone who wants to actively help shape tomorrow's world of work.'
Four inspiration-packed days for exchanging ideas
An impressive festival programme invites trade fair participants to experience, discuss and celebrate the future of work in all its facets over four whole days. Taking place across six stages, the event will bring together over 100 speakers from a wide range of specialist fields and has more than 75 items on the programme. Accompanying the impressive line-up, exhibition spaces hosted by IBA members, workshop areas and special art and design spaces will provide diverse inspiration. To complete the festival experience, food trucks will provide refreshments, and live music will mark the end of the third day of the trade fair.
Three perspectives on the future of work
What makes Orgatec and the Wherever Whenever – Work Culture Festival unique is the hall layout with its direct connections between the different sections: Participants will be able to move easily between the trade fair stands, special exhibitions, talks, panels and workshops. Instead of focusing solely on work, the event will also shed light on how we will live alongside and with each other in the future. The festival aims to foster an understanding of how these aspects are interrelated to make participants better equipped to respond to challenges. This mission is reflected in the event's three tracks – Team, Life and Impact – which will examine the workspaces of tomorrow from specific perspectives.
Prominent speakers
Across these three tracks, speakers and panel members from diverse fields and disciplines will provide exclusive insights into the future of work. The high-calibre line-up of speakers includes the musician and racing driver Smudo, football coach Ralf Rangnick, neurobiologist Bernd Hufnagl, UX expert Sophie Kleber, designer Sabine Marcelis, HR executive Cawa Younosi, architect Ben van Berkel and digital expert Sascha Lobo, alongside many other renowned experts.
More information:
Orgatec
www.orgatec.com