Calendar of events: Experiencing technology

4 December 2019

Have a go on an e-bike, admire some automotive rarities, find out about start-ups, hang out together or have a go at hacking the Internet of Things: A few events await those of a curious disposition and tech lovers between January and March 2020. We present our calendar of events.

17 - 19 January 2020, Messe Dresden (Dresden Exhibition Centre)
For more information about the “e-bike-days” trade fair, please click here.

Have a go on an e-bike: Ever larger numbers of people are turning to electric pedal power to speed up the journey to work or for relaxing rides in the country. Over three million bicycles with electric drive are already coasting along on German roads and cycle paths. And the number is rising sharply. Anyone who’s toying with the idea of switching to a motorised bicycle or is interested in starting the new cycling year on a new model can test-drive one at the e-bike-days in Dresden. Current e-bike models ranging from the classic low entry bike through to the cargo Pedelec will be on show. You’ll be able to put them through their paces over the spacious indoor obstacle course and, as you do so, find out what appeals to you most: a hub motor, a centrally positioned motor or a power or motion sensor. Once all your questions about e-bikes have been resolved, you’ll then be able to visit the Gläserne Manufaktur, VW’s pioneering electric mobility production site in Dresden. It’s at this site that the electric Golf is being built: from autumn, the ID.3 will be rolling off the production line, and it’s with this model that Volkswagen intends to make the electric car a viable option for the mass market.

24 - 26 January 2020, Leipziger Messe (Leipzig Exhibition Centre)
For more information about “DreamHack”, click here.

Playing together: The German gaming community will be making its way to DreamHack Leipzig for the fifth time this winter. Unlike Cologne’s Gamescom, the German offshoot of the Swedish Games Festival will not primarily be featuring brand new games to play. Instead, during Germany's largest LAN party, 2000 gamers will be turning the night into day, cosplayers will showcase their lovingly detailed costumes, and e-sport professionals will be lining up to take each other on in tournaments. Fans of computer-aided sports will be looking forward to DreamHack this year with especially eager anticipation: for the first time, the international elite players of the real-time strategy game Dota 2 will be competing against each other in Leipzig. 16 teams from Europe, Asia and America will be playing for World Cup qualifying points – and prize money of one million dollars.

13 February 2020, Areal Böhler
For more information about the “Digital Demo Day”, click here.

Ideas to get your hands on: if you want to know what’s going on in the start-up scene in NRW, you will as always be in the right place at the Digital Demo Day in Düsseldorf. Some 175 start-ups from the fields of virtual and augmented reality, robotics, the Internet of Things, blockchain and cyber security will be showcasing innovative technology and digital solutions – for example, how municipalities can use sensors and learning algorithms to clean their sewers in a more targeted and cost-effective way. Workshops, presentations and expert panels will focus on the topics of artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things. Investor Frank Thelen, well known from the TV show “Die Höhle der Löwen”, Germany’s equivalent to the “Dragon’s Den”, will explain how to create tech start-ups with a potential for global market leadership. In “pitch battles”, tech start-ups will have an opportunity to inspire companies and investors with their ideas.

17 - 19 February 2020, STATION-Berlin
For more information about “Bosch ConnectedExperience”, click here.

Hacking into the Internet of Things: this year, hundreds of developers will once again be gathering to explore and play about with ideas of how connected devices and sensors can make production processes more efficient, cities smarter and all of our lives more comfortable. With around 700 participants, this is one of the largest hackathons in Europe and is supported, alongside the host Bosch, by various tech giants, including Dell, Google and Microsoft. The programmers and designers have 30 hours to jointly come up with ideas and build prototypes that can solve problems in such areas as mobility and production or water supply in developing countries. Alongside their creativity and expertise, they can draw on a pool of more than 130 networkable devices: Cars, e-bikes, robots, intelligent household or production machines and, of course, a range of sensors.

27 February - 1 March 2020, Messe Stuttgart (Stuttgart Exhibition Centre)
For more information about “Retro Classics Stuttgart”, click here.

Nostalgia on two to four wheels: Launched in 2001 as a small gathering of enthusiasts, Retro Classics in Stuttgart has long since become the obligatory annual event for classic car lovers. To mark the event’s 20th birthday, manufacturers, vintage car clubs and private collectors will be offering visitors the opportunity over 140,000 square metres to explore some legendary automobile eras and feast their eyes on models from down the ages of automotive history: from historic tractors to classic limousines and American road cruisers to old Formula One cars. This year's highlights include Swiss-made motorcycles with cult status, iconic Gulf racing cars and cars from French manufacturer Avions Voisin which are as classy as they are rare and which, with their technical sophistication, were the very best things on four wheels in the run-up to the Second World War.

17 - 19 March 2020, Muffatwerk
For more information about “Data Festival”, click here.

Putting data treasures to good use: for the third time, the Data Festival is going to be shining a light on every aspect of the potential use of data. The “central platform for the data community in the German-speaking world” - which is how the organisers see the event - will use workshops, podium discussions and talks to explore issues such as data science, machine learning, neural networks, blockchain, data visualisation and data ethics. Participating data enthusiasts will be able to immerse themselves particularly fully in the material on the Tech Deep Dive Stages: in interactive sessions lasting 90 minutes or more, technical details will be explored, and the latest developments discussed using the example of innovative projects.