International Media Congress Comes to a Successful Close

The International Media Congress (September 5-6, 2011), which takes place every year during the MEDIENWOCHE@IFA and is organized by the Medienboard und gfu, came to a successful close on Tuesday evening. With roughly 3,000 tradeshow visitors, this year’s event saw an increase in participation of more than 30 percent over the previous year.

The strategic cooperation between the IFA and the Congress once again proved to be a complete success. Participants in the International Media Congress discussed all the latest issues relating to content, business models, marketing strategies, technologies and devices under the motto “Digital is now!” At the same time, they also found out all the latest on the debates surrounding media policy and the Internet. The date for the MEDIENWOCHE@IFA 2012 has already been set: August 31 – September 5, 2012.

“An increase from two to three thousand accredited guests is proof that our continuing development of the concept behind the congress was absolutely worth it,” notes Medienboard managing Elmar Giglinger. “Our more international and visionary approach was clearly the right choice for us to make. Also, our stronger focus on start-ups was spot on, especially for an event taking place in Berlin, which is Germany’s start-up capital. Our new “Science Meets Content” section also enjoyed a successful premiere this year. These are the themes that we will continue to devote ourselves to in the coming years as the Media Congress continues to grow into the industry gathering for the convergent and digital media world.“ 

At the 2011 congress, a total of 180 high-ranking national and international speakers spoke at over 70 keynotes, presentations and podiums. Under the theme “Digital is now!” discussions focused on strategic media company scenarios, challenges facing content providers and platform operators, and trends and tendencies in media development. Other discussion topics included upcoming decisions with regard to media policy and the Internet and the launch of the next round of talks on the new FFG law. The popular congress section known as “Screenings & Presentations” – where young developers and entrepreneurs present new content, innovative technologies and business models and also provide insights into future tech – also enjoyed tremendous growth in 2011. 

A number of high-profile events, such as the MEDIANIGHT with the Boulevard of the Stars and the IFA Gala, provided exclusive gathering points for networking and exchange. The dazzling finale of the MEDIENWOCHE@IFA came yesterday evening in the form of the bestowal of the M100 Media Award to Chinese blogger Michael Anti at the M100 Sanssouci Colloquium in Potsdam. 

For free press photos and video streams of select congress panels, please visit http://www.medienwoche.de/en/press-photos/2011 and www.medienwoche.de/en/videos/2011.