IT, mobility, digitalisation: exciting dates for the autumn.

5 August 2021

As the vaccination rate increases, so too does the number of conferences, trade fairs and events for which in-person attendance is permitted – in compliance with current hygiene measures, of course. But the range of online options for tech fans is also proliferating.. The #explore event calendar reveals which analogue or digital events you shouldn’t miss between August and December.

21 to 22 August 2021, Eissporthalle Frankfurt
For more information about “VELOFrankfurt”, click here

Get on your bike: the bicycle has enjoyed growing popularity in recent years – and coronavirus has given the bike industry a healthy extra boost. Bicycle shops were booked solid for weeks, with over five million bikes sold throughout Germany – almost 40 percent of them with electric support. If you feel moved for the first time to discover the joys of cycling for yourself or are simply looking for a new push bike, you will find everything you need at VELOFrankfurt. The entire range will be presented outside on the grounds, partly under cover: from city bikes, touring and mountain bikes to racers and cargo bikes, with or without motorised support. Recumbent bikes or bicycles for children can also be put through their paces on the 400-metre-long test track. If you want, you can also come to the site to find out about cycling holidays or cruise through this metropolis on the River Main on a guided bike tour. Please be aware that tickets are only available online and will be made out to individual ticket holders to comply with hygiene protection measures.

25 to 27 August 2021, online
For more information about “Gamescom”, click here

Time for a games crawl: Due to the pandemic, the world’s largest public trade fair for computer games will once again take place exclusively online this year. The organisers of Gamescom also promise one hundred percent digital entertainment. It all starts on 25 August with the Opening Night Live, with the prospect of exciting announcements and red-hot information about new games. In the Gamescom Studio, game developers will offer some deeper insights into their ongoing projects. In addition to the games from industry giants such as Electronic Arts or Microsoft, you will also have the opportunity to explore 120 selected indie games, which will be presented on the virtual stands of the Indie Arena Booth Online and in the Arcade Village. The new “Games Crawl” will offer a digital twist on everyday trade fair life: This multi-day streaming event consisting of live concerts, game shows and role-playing game rounds aims to lead you through the fun of gaming in all its variants. Popular live streamers such as Gronkh or Trymacs will be donning the mantle of master of ceremonies for the Digital Games Crawl. In terms of gaming policy, the Debat(tl)e Royale, in which representatives of the parties will discuss hot topics including the German Government’s games strategy, will take place on the final day.

7 to 12 September 2021, Messe München (Munich Exhibition centre); city centre
For more information about the “IAA”, click here

From car show to mobility platform: The IAA will take place this year in Munich for the first time and has taken the opportunity presented by the move to thoroughly revise its concept. Having restyled itself as IAA Mobility, it is saying goodbye to the old-school car show and now seeking to develop a comprehensive picture of the climate-friendly mobility of tomorrow. In addition to studies and new models, some 500 exhibitors from over 25 countries will be presenting automated vehicles and state-of-the-art high-end bicycles, along with connected micromobility for urban environments – in the exhibition halls and in Munich city centre. The sites will be connected by what the organisers are calling on a Blue Lane. Over this 12-kilometre route, visitors can test emission-free innovations or have battery or hydrogen vehicles shuttle them to their destination. At the IAA Conference, international experts will discuss AI, the fuels of the future, cybersecurity and autonomous driving – the lectures and discussion rounds can now also be followed online. If you want to get an immediate impression of the possibilities offered by automation, you can marvel at cars going through their driverless parking routines in the Messe West multi-storey car park.

14 to 16 September 2021, Messe Frankfurt (Frankfurt Exhibition Centre) and online
For more information about “hypermotion”, click here

Going through the tube: This year's hypermotion is dedicated to the tunnel of the future. For the first time, the Hyperloop Conference will be held at the trade fair for smart and connected mobility solutions. On 16 September, researchers, start-ups, companies and politicians will discuss how the high-speed pneumatic dispatch system can be launched and connected to other means of transport. The well-known speakers will include Josh Giegel and Diana Zhou from Virgin Hyperloop – the first company to have successfully conducted a manned test drive, back in 2020.  Also present will be Mars Geuze, co-founder of Hardt, Hyperloop. The Dutch start-up aims to use Hyperloop technology to open up the possibility of transporting goods between Amsterdam and Rotterdam by tunnel, thereby drastically reducing lorry traffic and CO2 emissions. And, by the way, if you can't make it to the Main in September, you can also get involved in various online formats in discussions about the mobility of the future.

9 - 24 October 2021, Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn, Jena and other locations; online
For more information about the “Code Week”, click here

Just get soldering: from the beginning of October, eyes across Europe will be turning to Code Week. For 14 days, children and young people will be able to take a look behind the scenes of the digital world anywhere in the EU and try their hand at soldering, tinkering or coding. Last year, Hamburg was Germany’s coding capital. In 180 workshops – half of them online – the participants set out to crack the Tik-Tok algorithm and combat marine pollution using artificial intelligence. There is now much more to discover digitally, especially in Berlin, Bonn, Jena and Baden-Württemberg. If you live somewhere else, you can see on a map where tinkering or coding may be going on near you during Code Week or where you can get hacking with others online.

12 - 14 October 2021, Nuremberg Exhibition Centre
For more information about “it-sa”, click here

Security update: If you want to know where cyber security is heading, then it-sa is a must again this year. Based in Nuremberg since 2009, it-sa has become the world's largest IT security trade fair. Around 750 exhibitors are expected to be on site to present the latest security solutions to managers, IT specialists and security officers from industry, services and administration. Since 2020, the analogue trade fair has been flanked by an accompanying digital dialogue platform called itsa365. Here, for example, you can have the nominees for the Start-up Award pitch their innovative security ideas to you in advance on 9 September and vote on the best concepts.

27 November to 5 December 2021, Messe Essen (Essen Exhibition Centre)
For more information about the Essen Motor Show, click here

At last it’s time to rev those engines again: Last year, the Essen Motor Show had to take a break for Covid reasons – this November and December, things will heat up again on Europe’s largest stage for sports vehicles. Classics, innovations, vintage cars and racing cars will once again set the pulses of horsepower lovers racing. As always, the highlight will be the motorsport arena, where the professionals will send adrenaline levels soaring with howling engines and screeching tyres. Another must for vehicle fans is tuningXperience, where home mechanics will present their spectacular treasures. This year, of course, record numbers of visitors are not to be expected in view of the hygiene measures. On the plus side, you’ll be able to marvel in unprecedented peace at all the wonderful vehicles on display.

6 to 9 December 2021, online
For more information on the “IT Days 2021”, click here

Four days of IT: IT is a broad field that is now being exclusively cultivated online for the second time at IT Days. More than 200 lectures in 18 sub-conferences will focus on current trends and developments in software development, database architecture, IT security and agile project management. In addition to perennial hot potatoes like the cloud, Big Data and the Internet of Things, this year’s focus will also be on the questions of what quantum computers mean for IT security, what digitalisation can do for climate protection, what ethical AI looks like and whether artificial intelligence has what it takes to compose music.