Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

They've got Sting and Robert Redford on board, and through Sept. 18 you can livestream GREENTECH 2020. It's an amazing-looking convergence of technology, informative streaming, and enviro-chic hope for a better planet. If that sounds too much like a slick marketing pitch, the reality is even more glitzy in Berlin. Read on...

From Screenmancer

After last year‘s successful premiere, the second GREENTECH FESTIVAL (GTF) takes place until Sept. 18, having begun on Sept. 16. The event for sustainable technologies will welcome its visitors to Kraftwerk Berlin. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of on-site participants is limited but part of the festival will take place online for everybody to be able to participate digitally, free of charge. This year, the three GTF founders Marco Voigt, Sven Krüger and Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg will once again welcome many well-known guests such as Ursula von der Leyen, Robert Redford, Joschka Fischer, and musician Sting.

This is GREENTECH 2020

BERLIN: With the motto #celebratechange, GTF will open its doors for three days in September – and there certainly are some changes in place this year. In addition to its core modules the GTF CONFERENCE powered by Salesforce, the GREEN AWARDS powered by Audi, the GTF CONCERT powered by MagentaMusik 360 and the GTF EXHIBITION, the festival has been extended: this year, it will include several digital events and offer its guests an innovative overall experience. “Climate change has not stopped during the coronavirus crisis, so instead of cancelling our festival and postponing it to 2021, we have developed it further and worked on an innovative concept for all our participants. We are very much looking forward to welcoming visitors from all over the world, whether in person here in Berlin or online, to spend three inspiring days with our speakers, our top exhibitors and many celebrities,” says Marco Voigt, the festival’s co-founder.

BERLIN, GERMANY - Sept. 16,  Nico Rosberg and Marco Voigt on Day One of 2nd GREENTECH Fest (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival)

The coronavirus pandemic has inspired the GTF team to re-think the whole festival and to develop a new, versatile concept with a lot of exciting content: experts from many different industries – such as mobility, energy, finance, fashion and nutrition – will present their climate-friendly ideas for companies, decision-makers and countries. All participants are invited to learn about the latest findings and ideas in the fight against climate change and the throwaway society – either digitally or on-site. The festival’s partner country is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which will be co-hosting the UN climate conference COP26 with Italy in 2021.

A new GTF – with virtual and digital components

The festival – together with GTF CONFERENCE founding partner Salesforce – will present several exciting keynotes, panel talks and masterclasses on both analogue and digital stages. Prominent thought leaders and speakers with a background in business, science or culture – such as Joschka Fischer (former Federal Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor), Richard Lutz (CEO Deutsche Bahn), Mirjam Staub-Bisang (CEO BlackRock Switzerland), David Katz (CEO Plastic Bank), Pasi Vainikka (CEO Solarfoods) or Nico Rosberg – will introduce interesting solutions and methods for decision-makers in order for them to take the initiative with regard to sustainability. “GREENTECH FESTIVAL is very close to my heart. As a global platform for green technologies, we help to make sustainability a tangible experience. We want to provide food for thought to accelerate a positive change,” explains Nico Rosberg.

Furthermore, GTF is presenting a new digital format in the context of the conference: SWITCH GREEN. Pioneers such as Ursula von der Leyen (President of the European Commission), Klaus Schwab (economist and founder of the World Economic Forum), Christiana Figueres (former Secretary General of the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change), Sting (musician, composer and actor), Melati Wijsen (Indonesian climate activist) as well as Prince Albert of Monaco will introduce their ideas, inspirations and concepts for a greener planet. The format will be continued after the conference.

In addition to the GTF CONFERENCE, the GTF EXHIBITION will also take place once again. The interactive exhibition will be opened by Dorothee Bär, the Minister of State for Digitalisation, and the festival’s cofounders Nico Rosberg, Marco Voigt, and Sven Krüger. GTF EXHIBITION’s partner is the private bank Julius Bär. Well-known exhibitors include Deutsche Bahn, Ströer, BMW, Skoda, NIO, Hyundai, Ursa Robotics, Allianz and Veganz, all of whom will give insights into a world of tomorrow. For the first time ever, the festival offers a digital exploratory tour for all those who are interested but cannot visit in person.

BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 16: Nico Rosberg and Renate Kuenast during day 1 of the Greentech Festival at Kraftwerk Mitte on September 16, 2020 in Berlin, Germany.  (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images for Greentech Festival)

Enjoying events at home – via livestream

One of the festival’s highlights will be the presentation of the GREEN AWARDS, which will take place in cooperation with Audi. Several prominent guests from business, science, politics, sports and media will grace the festival’s green carpet and will honor the most future-forward green projects and minds.

Presenter Steven Gätjen will be hosting the ceremony, which can also be watched at home via livestream.

The GTF CONCERT will provide musical entertainment in cooperation with MagentaMusik 360: on the 16th of September, musicians will celebrate a green future in front of a small audience with their climate neutral performances. A special highlight will be an international top act that is yet to be announced.

Thanks to Magenta TV, those who can’t be in front of the stage can watch the performance at home.

GREENTECH SHOW GMBH I MÜNZSTRASSE 15 I 10178 BERLIN I T +49 30 240 87 82 - 0 I INFO@GREENTECHFESTIVAL.COM I WWW.GREENTECHFESTIVAL.COM

GREENTECH FESTIVAL

With the motto #celebratechange, GREENTECH FESTIVAL brings together entrepreneurs, neo-green idealists and people from all over the world to inspire them with innovative green technologies and ideas that facilitate a sustainable lifestyle. It is the first festival of its kind, combining an inspiring exhibition of green technologies, services, and products with the GTF CONFERENCE – powered by Salesforce, which is attended by many prominent thought-leaders. Additionally, there is a climate-neutral concert in cooperation with MagentaMusik 360. Several exhibitions and the GREEN AWARDS – powered by Audi will also take place. The whole event takes place over a course of three days and is also the hotbed of the eponymous platform for green technologies and innovators who participate in making our technology, economy and society more sustainable. This year’s second edition of the festival is a digital-analogue hybrid: GREENTECH FESTIVAL 2020 includes many new online formats and has digital components of established modules, thereby becoming even more agile, global and visible.

Swing by www.greentechfestival.com for a visit.

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