The first Tech Open Air conference was organized in 2012 by crowdfunding. It was conceived by a group of Berlin startup founders who wanted to create a new kind of festival that would bring together technology, art, music and science. Their main goal was to provide a platform for multi-disciplinary knowledge exchange, collaboration and development.
The inaugural edition of Tech Open Air took place on August 23 and 24, 2012. It featured nearly 60 speakers and attracted approximately 850 visitors. Alongside the conference itself, there were 23 satellite events. The conference has been growing ever since. For example, TOA 2016 featured 166 speakers including pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim (Berlin State Opera), entrepreneur Caterina Fake (Flickr), CEO Mathias Döpfner (Axel Springer), and others. The event drew over 11,000 attendees from over 40 countries.
The main event of Tech Open Air is the conference that hosts internationally acclaimed entrepreneurs, scientistic and artists. Notable past speakers at the conference include Mike Butcher (TechCrunch), Christoph Keese (Axel Springer), Chris Barton (Shazam), Katie Doll (Airbnb), Luke Woods (Facebook), Jawed Karim (YouTube), Eric Wahlforss (SoundCloud), Danae Ringelmann (Indiegogo), James Minor (SXSW), and many more.
Alongside keynotes and talks, the program of Tech Open Air includes interactive panels, art installations, music performances, networking events designed to connect startups with inventors and big enterprises, and many other events and activities. The conference also hosts several pitching sessions, including Pitch-Nic (a speed dating-like event for startups and international investors) and Hardware Pitch (an event where several teams of tech entrepreneurs are given a chance to pitch their products to a panel of judges).
TOA’s satellite events are what makes the conference even more exciting. Members of the tech and creative community are welcome to host their own events linked to the conference, transforming Tech Open Air into an interactive hub. The satellite events network includes seminars, workshops, meetings, interactive events, parties, and more.
Photo: StefanWieland.com / Tech Open Air
