How do we want to work, communicate, network and learn in future?

Taking place on 3 Sep 2020, BOCOM overcomes geographical, technological and subject boundaries

Frankfurt, 19 August 2020

“BOCOM – Experience Borderless Communication” is the first event of its kind, featuring an integrated research concept, two agendas in morning and afternoon sessions, four focus topics, four venues, 25 project partners and supporters as well as some 30 speakers.

The agenda of the hybrid multisite conference, taking place on 3 September, concentrates on the future of human communication and collaboration. Joining the live stream is free and registration is open until 26 August on www.bocom.online.

The programme of “BOCOM – Experience Borderless Communication“ covers four main topics, which play a key role for future human collaboration and communication, i.e., “Overcoming Borders”, “Human Machine Interaction & Learning”, “New Work & Collaboration” as well as “Borderless Communication & Sustainability”. All of these aspects have in recent months become even more relevant and BOCOM provides attendees, whether on site or virtually, with an ideal opportunity to reflect on their own experiences, engage in discussions with others and get new ideas.

Speakers represent a wide range of expertise, e.g., on hospitality, technology and communication, with corporate as well as academic backgrounds, and also include representatives of various destinations. One special feature of the BOCOM set-up is that the conference is divided into two half day events at its central Berlin hub. Given the stricter hygiene and safety requirements, this enables as many people as possible to take part on site. Attendees joining via the live stream, however, can take part for the whole day – free of charge and from their location of choice.

Connecting various event venues
BOCOM digitally connects different physical event venues as well as the worldwide community of virtual attendees, who join the live stream and can also interact with speakers, exhibitors and other attendees. The event hubs in Amsterdam, Essen and Vienna are connected with the central hub at Design Offices Humboldthafen in Berlin for the key notes and panel discussions on the agenda but also have their own programme on the day. Some of the BOCOM speakers will also tune in from other parts of the world such as New York City, Tel Aviv, Paris or Madrid. An interactive “Speakers’ Corner” area, which runs in parallel to the programme on the main stage in Berlin, enables attendees to engage with the speakers. They can also try new technologies, which are presented by innovative start-ups and tech providers in the XR and chat lab.

BOCOM event app as central platform for attendees
An event app that was specifically customised for the particular BOCOM set-up serves as the central platform for all attendees, no matter if on site in Berlin, in the local hubs or online. It offers comprehensive information on the agenda, speakers and exhibitors as well as a voting functionality and the option to chat with speakers and other attendees. In addition, attendees taking part on site in Berlin can book individual time slots for the interactive area while virtual attendees can use it to follow the event via the live stream.


About BOCOM
What will cross-border, effective and sustainable collaboration and communication of the future look like? Taking place on 3 September, the multisite conference “BOCOM – Experience Borderless Communication“ enables attendees to experience and test new technologies and ideas in an innovative, accessible and participatory way. BOCOM grew out of the “Future Meeting Space” (FMS) innovation network, which was founded in 2015 by the GCB German Convention Bureau and the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO with the aim of defining technical, organisational and spatial conditions for successful events of the future. The multisite conference format taking place at different locations was one of the first future meeting scenarios identified by the FMS research initiative. This idea has led to a partnership between the GCB, the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO, c4 Berlin (formerly TRIAD) and the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office to initiate the first test lab for borderless communication in the digital age – BOCOM.

Alongside the initiators, the following partners support BOCOM: Accor, AllSeated, deinCHATBOT, Design Offices, gamelab.berlin, IMEX Group, instaroom, KFP Five Star Conference Service, Neumann&Müller Veranstaltungstechnik, robo.ai, Siemens, Slido, Ungerboeck, Urbanana, VR Business Club and WeAre. The Association for Community Management BVCM supports BOCOM as Community Partner. The German Federal Environmental Foundation supports BOCOM with regard to evaluating how sustainable a multisite conference is.

Dr. Martina Neunecker

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