That was the rheingold Congress 2024

The rheingold Congress 2024 in Cologne focused on the "New Logic of Life". The major upheavals of our time will trigger a cultural crisis that will massively change our society and virtually "remodel" our everyday lives. The rheingold Congress 2024 in Cologne is all about this new logic of our lives. How will we think and feel? How will we eat, shop and communicate?

You can find more images on our press page Press images for the rheingold Congress 2024.

What the press writes: Horizont Planung & Analyse, marktforschung.de, Absatzwirtschaft, Kölnische Rundschau

The first speaker is radio astronomer and professor of astrophysics Heino Falcke, who became famous for the first image of a black hole that he photographed with his team. This first photo was a triumph of science and technology. Black holes and the Big Bang show us the limits of knowledge and measurability and we do not know what happens beyond them. What logic emerges for humanity and the cosmos with the discovery of these fundamental limits and uncertainties? Does this open up new horizons for hopeful action?

Hopes of redemption in the permanent crisis

Stephan Grünewald then provides an insight into the psyche of the nation. A nation that has great confidence in its private life, but has drawn a curtain of repression in front of its tranquil life in the face of the persistence of the crisis. With hopes of redemption between archaic totemism and technological affiliation, the crisis-ridden people are trying to preserve hope. In his speech, Grünewald paints a picture of the Babylonian confusion that has gripped German society. The major and urgent crises of this time (war, climate) are accompanied by a fundamental cultural crisis. Certainties of all kinds are being put to the test - or destroyed.
Some hope that charismatic leaders with archaic slogans will resolve the confusion. Others rely on technological omnipotence. Couldn't we make life more efficient if we delegated more to the wisdom of technology? This is a hope of redemption, but it cannot be realized in this way. We need the combination of artificial and spiritual intelligence, we need more than just efficiency, we also need effectiveness. An AI has no heartache, no heartburn, no nightmares. But these are the decisive creative moments. Soul needs development, it needs other people, it needs authentic experiences.

Welcome, seamless consumer!

Judith Barbolini, member of the management team at rheingold, is an expert on the consumers of the future. Current studies show that young people in particular are becoming increasingly difficult to reach. People no longer fit into molds, they change their minds quickly and, like small children, they want everything at the same time and, at best, immediately. Traditional demographic characteristics such as age, gender or income are no longer sufficient to understand behavior. We live in a constant flow.

Young people in digitalized countries today are growing up with the knowledge of universal possibilities. You can become anything, achieve anything... if only you want to!

At the same time, there is growing pressure to personalize one's own life and position oneself as a unique individual. Above all, the seamless consumer wants to progress and develop constantly and unhindered. Even a queue at the checkout can be an almost insurmountable obstacle. When you know how psychologically difficult it is to make concrete decisions in a world of a thousand possibilities, you also want to complete your purchase as quickly as possible. Queuing at the checkout not only increases the time pressure, but unconsciously also the psychological pressure: have I really made the right choice from the numerous options? 

The AI avatar MIA can show the needs and mindset of the seamless consumer like a mirror image.

How do we free ourselves from guilt when eating?

Sabine Loch is the rheingold nutrition expert. In her lecture, she shows how, in a world of uncontrollable crises, nutrition has become an instrument of control over one's own life. The demands on nutrition and thus also the level of fall & frustration have grown immeasurably. Using four central nutritional trends, she describes how consumers can find their way back to enjoyment and pragmatism.

Seven deadly sins of strategy

Johannes Mauss, CMO at rheingold, knows all about the seven deadly sins of brand and corporate strategy development. How can they be avoided in order to transform knowledge into understanding? The strategy consultancy Sweet Spot is launching today with an innovative approach that combines in-depth psychological insights with an agile and implementation-oriented strategy process. The joint venture between rheingold, the digital agency Gerhard, and Alexander Kiock, the founder and former CEO of diffferent, brings a breath of fresh air to the world of strategy consulting.

What the guests say