CITY OF CONNECTIVITY

Düsseldorf is one of Europe‘s leading locations for the digital industry. Which, in itself, is an important driving force for all other economic sectors – and for an adaptable and crisis-proof society.

With a unique cluster of established mobile operators, international network equipment and electronics manufacturers as well as innovative start-ups, the telecommunication of the future is being shaped in Düsseldorf.

More and more companies are setting up innovation labs to help develop new products or concepts. VIVID took a closer look at the three Düsseldorf think tanks of IOX Lab, Henkel and Vodafone. 

Indian IT companies have been active in Düsseldorf for years. They bring a lot of expertise to the region and play a decisive role in shaping the digital future.

With the opening of the “Fusion Campus” in Düsseldorf, NRW is strengthening its position as a leading games location. Managing Director Stefanie Waschk explains to VIVID why the gaming industry is much better than its reputation and how it can drive innovation in all sectors of the economy.

From the smart control app for boats and caravans to the digital competence check in game format to the consulting company for hip-hop culture: VIVID presents three exciting new start-ups from the city.

How does an international airport deal with a global pandemic and the restrictions it imposes? Why is this place a key hub for all forms of transport? What role does climate neutrality play? And how can an airport become digitally transformed even further? VIVID publisher Rainer Kunst discussed this and much more with Thomas Schnalke, CEO of the international airport in Düsseldorf.

Lucas Sauberschwarz is Managing Director of the strategy consultancy Venture Idea, Director of the Centre for Innovation at the SGMI Management Institute St. Gallen and best-selling author. Because the Düsseldorf native wanted to be at the centre of innovation in Germany, he founded his company in Berlin in 2010. After five years, he moved Venture Idea's headquarters to Düsseldorf - for good reasons.

She learned how to cook and run a household from her grandmother in Poland, but to make a profession out of it? Agata Reul veered between cook and florist. However, when she came to Germany, she trained as a cook in the legendary high-class restaurant “Victorian” a few steps away from Königsallee. Only a year after opening her own restaurant “Agata's” in Düsseldorf, her cuisine was awarded a Michelin star in 2013. Since then, she has been the only Polish woman in Germany to own a Michelin-starred restaurant. 

@home or hybrid, remote or back to office - how do companies and the self-employed position themselves flexibly for the time after the pandemic? Five voices on the future of work - from social media consultants to tax advisors.

Cybercrime is a real threat of increasing proportions. VIVID spoke with Markus Hartmann, senior public prosecutor and cybercrime expert based in Cologne, about the highly professional level of attacks on the Net - and why the topic of security is an issue of top priority.