Event organizers thinking big

More and more tech and start-up events in Switzerland address a international audience. This week the World Innovations Forum and the Crypto Finance Conference were announced. Next weekend the first Drone Days will take place at EPFL. And Mid-September the Digital Festival and the ICO Summit will also attract participants from abroad.

The goals of the organizers of the World Innovations Forum are ambitious. 1,200 innovation stakeholders from 50 countries, including entrepreneurs, investors, incubators, accelerators, mentors, and economic development officers shall join forces. At the World Innovations Forum they will be working together to solve burning challenges of entrepreneurship. The Forum takes place in Lucerne, Switzerland, June 6 to 8 2018. Axel Schultze, co-founder and member of the board of the Forum, comments: “We are now represented in 16 countries and expect to have 10 more in the next 2 weeks. By end of year, we expect to have representatives – Ambassadors - in all 50 countries.” (Picture of the organizers above: Axel Schultze (Co-Founder and Board Member), Marita Schultze (Founding Member), Prof. Dr. René Zeier (Co-Founder and CEO), Manuela Rantra (Marketing Manager), from left to right, Photo: Business Wire).

Participating countries are organizing monthly “national startup competitions.” The winners from each country will be invited to Lucerne in 2018 and compete for the world’s best startup. The organization will help several hundred innovative entrepreneurs to gain global visibility at no cost to the startups.

“We don’t want to be an elite club, but make sure the most qualified people join the forum,” said Rene Zeier, co-founder and CEO of the WIForum. Attendance is either by invitation or confirmed application only. Carol Ackermann, a founding member says about the difference to other conferences: “From listening to exploring and making – a truly global initiative with the mutual understanding: 'the more you put in the more you get out.'” Only a few, but very igniting keynote speakers will inspire this forum.

First global Crypto Finance Conference
On Monday the Crypto Finance Conference was announced. It is organized by a group of eight Swiss investors and entrepreneurs. More than 20 top class speakers from all over the world including the most relevant crypto funds and investors could already be enlisted. The aim of the conference is to allow private and institutional investors to gain a comprehensive understanding of what crypto currencies and the blockchain are, how to invest in, what regulators and risk managers think and how crypto assets can be stored and accessed safely. The conference takes place in St. Moritz from Wednesday the 17th to Friday the 19th of January 2018 right before the World Economic Forum.

Lausanne as the center of the drone world
Two additional global conferences will be held already this September. This weekend, the Rolex Learning Center at EPFL will play host to the FAI International Drone Conference and Expo, run by the World Air Sports Federation (FAI), with speakers from the cutting edge of innovation, safety and sport.

The conference is embedded in the first Drone Days. The event will be open to the general public. Visitors will be treated to an entertaining mixture of sporting and technological prowess in the field of aerial robotics. They will be able to try their hand at flying a drone themselves and can watch spectacular drone races. On all three days, from 10am to 5pm, drone technology buffs will be able to check out the interactive exhibition put together by NCCR Robotics. It will showcase the leading research projects being conducted at EPFL in this field. Demonstrations, video piloting, stands and workshops will give visitors young and old a unique opportunity to see firsthand the most unusual drones the researchers have come up with and get a glimpse at emerging innovations.

13 to 17 September: Digital Festival
The event brings pioneers, digital movers and shakers to Zurich, who challenge existing structures and think in new ways. At the Digital Festival, the international world of technology discusses the major topics of the digital future – always with regard to the challenges and opportunities for the Swiss economy and society.

ICO Summit on 15 September
During the last two years, Switzerland has become the epicentre of ICO revolution. Enabled by the blockchain technology, this new phenomenon has generated a lot of excitement as well as criticism. At the ICO Summit in Zurich, movers and shakers will share the inside view of recent dynamics and their vision of cryptofinance of tomorrow. The ICO Summit is also a place where investors can learn about promising blockchain start-ups.

(SK)