From March 5 to 9, 2025, we are hosting a Learning Journey to Austin for South by Southwest (SXSW), including a two-day pre-program.
Follow our live blog here for photos, videos, and key insights.
The last day at SXSW was a real highlight: from exciting talks on innovative future topics to a star moment with Ben Stiller!
Particularly impressive: futurologist Tracy Bauer spoke about the new view of generations in the workplace. No longer 'Boomer vs. Gen Z', but life phases count!
Work-life balance? That was yesterday! Today it's about multi-dimensions in life.
And of course: corporate culture and leadership must fit together - otherwise talent will quickly disappear!
Day 2 of South by Southwest was once again dedicated to shaping the future.
Convergence
In her keynote speech, Amy Webb emphasised: 'The future is unpredictable, but we can prepare for it. One important trend: convergence. She calls the combination of artificial intelligence with bioengineering and advanced sensors living engineering - an area that goes far beyond what AI alone can achieve.
The power of curiosity - why we should ask more questions
Frederik G. Pferdt, formerly at Google, invites us to actively prepare for the future and be more curious again. While children ask 140 questions a day, adults only ask 4.
Marketing with substance - what really counts
A panel of leading marketing professors on consumer behaviour came to an exciting conclusion: artificial scarcity can not only delay purchasing decisions, but also damage trust in brands.
Serendipity
We should create 'serendipitous ecosystems' and promote serendipity.
It finally started: South by Southwest has begun. Kasley Killam gave the opening speech on 'The Future of Health is social'. In addition to physical and mental health, social health is the third component. She predicts that social health today is where mental health was 10 - 15 years ago. And companies, teams or individuals who prioritise social health will be successful.
Some of the presentations also focussed on the future. Well-known researchers such as Rohit Bhargava invite you to take a closer look at futurology (instead of presenting trends).
During the lunch break, we went to H-E-B for a store check. The American supermarket chain was founded in 1905 and now has over 435 locations in Texas and Mexico.
We took a look behind the scenes at the University of Texas and found out why it is so renowned. A real highlight was the visit to the TACC - Texas Advanced Computing Centre.
We then went to Volkswagen, where we were able to experience first-hand how autonomous driving is developed - including a 'garage moment' instead of a high-tech laboratory.
Finally, we visited Austin FC: how a football club became a fan magnet in a very short space of time.
In the evening, we had dinner together at Leroy and Lewis - an innovative and award-winning BBQ restaurant.
The Learning Journey has started: On the first day of the pre-programme, after Colin's morning briefing, we were given insights into the economy, culture and politics of Austin and Texas.
We had an authentic lunch: At the Texas Chili Parlor, which opened in 1976, was the location for Quentin Tarantino's film 'Death Proof' and serves, among other things, 6 different chillies in 3 levels of spiciness.
Freshly fortified, we went to the Yeti flagship store, where we learnt how the outdoor brand, founded in 2006, managed to achieve a turnover of 1.8 billion US dollars in 2024.
We then went on to 3 different Cowboy Boots shops, which are located right next to each other, appeal to different target groups and yet still compete with each other.
We ended the insightful day at the Colorade River.
The Brandies Colin Fernando, Eva Stockhausen, Klaus-Dieter Koch, and Johanna Otto-Erley arrived on March 3 to prepare for the Learning Journey.
The agenda included location checks, final coordination, and badge pick-up. At the same time, Remote Work from Texas was in full swing. Frequently spotted in Austin: self-driving Waymo cars – without passengers.
On the evening of March 4th, the participants arrived, and the first get-together took place.
In the coming days, we will gather inspiration, meet pioneers, and discuss what all of this means for corporate and brand management.
