DSTNCMPPremium Partner
DSTNCMP²² OPENING
April 27, 2022, BY WOLFGANG WEILER
Thinking from the Future
WHAT A KICK-OFF FOR THE 12TH DSTNCMP!
The sun was shining with a spring-like warmth. Little clouds were reflected on the water among the rowers and sailors on the Outer Alster, while starting at 4:00 p.m., the first of the more than 200 participants in the DSTNCMP22 began checking in at the lobby of Le Méridien in Hamburg. However, entry was permitted only upon presentation of a vaccination card plus a current test result plus a temperature check plus check-in via the Corona-Warn-App and while wearing an FFP2 mask—the Hanseatic city is currently still subject to the strict hotspot regulations of the COVID-19 ordinances.
For what is likely to be the last time for now , experts from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and South Tyrol gathered in Hamburg—or so they were told by Benjamin Buhl, the chief organizer of the DSTNCMP, at the opening event at the Le Méridien Design Hotel.
The conference hotel, located right on the Alster, was a great choice: the new conference center, the Heritage Restaurant, and the magnificent rooftop bar with its terrace offered captivating and inspiring views of the Alster, the city’s five tall church spires, and a brilliant blue sky. Stylish maritime elements throughout the hotel added to the Hanseatic atmosphere.
THE PITCHES
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By the time the event opened at 5:30 p.m., 222 participants had checked in at the Silberstern room on the ground floor. Bernhard Lingg kicked off the evening in his dynamic, lively Bavarian style and familiarized the participants with the organization, COVID-19 guidelines, and the DSTNCMPprogram22 .
The sponsoring partners were each given 20 seconds to promote their companies, received a thank-you gift from netzvitamine’s managing directors Benjamin Buhl, Stefan Möhler, and Thorsten Reich, and were met with enthusiastic applause from the participants for their long-standing support.
The moderators recruited participants for their topics and sessions during the two workshop days and for the six finalists of the inaugural DSTNCMP Award to present their projects: In their elevator pitches, they were able to showcase what they had accomplished based on ideas from previous years and past issues of WERKSCHAU.
WHO DID WE WANT BE?
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The fact that, after nearly two hours and despite the exhausting journey, everyone was still listening intently to keynote speaker Harald Welzer was a testament to his eloquence. The sociologist and social psychologist is considered one of the most outspoken intellectuals in Germany. He is the director of Futurzwei, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to promoting a sustainable, open society fit for our grandchildren. Not “business as usual,” but post-growth and an economy for the common good.
His topic—“Transformation: We’re All for It—But Where Are We Headed? How We Need to Think About the Future”—captivated the audience for a good 50 minutes. His warning: “We’re not making any progress on the issue of transformation because, ultimately, we always say that everything is great the way it is now, but unfortunately we still have to do something else—for example, decarbonize.”
Electric cars aren't the solution; rather, a new mobility concept could involve reducing the need for transportation. For example, the municipality could help a local business owner secure a lease to ensure local access to goods, so that people don't have to drive 20 kilometers to the nearest supermarket.
Transformation cannot mean that everything should stay the way it is now, just with less CO2 somehow.
It would be fascinating to imagine the world differently from the way it has developed over the past few decades. However, "powerful interests" and "structural constraints" stand in the way, preventing people from wanting to break away from this trajectory.
The world we live in today is “historically quite new and totally unique.” Nothing like this has ever existed before. “And when you’re able to live like this, it’s easy to imagine that, in fact, everything is just going to keep getting better.”
But—according to Welzer—the “crises, which are occurring at ever-shorter intervals, do not at all give the impression that things are getting better.” Refugees, climate change, finance, COVID-19, the war in Ukraine. What if they were all connected to the “overarching theme of the destruction of the conditions for survival?”
Do these crises suggest that our assumption that things will always continue this way is completely wrong?
Transformation goes far beyond the technical question of what new feature we could develop.
IN THE END, IT'S ALL A MATTER OF CULTURE
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"And if I am a member of this culture, what would I like to contribute to it?” Alluding to the future perfect tense: “We call our foundation ‘Futurzwei’ because that represents the completed future. As human beings , we have the ability to envision ourselves in the future. And from there, to look back on the path we’ve traveled to reach that future. We must ask ourselves: Who do I want to have been? What do I want my company to have been?”
Anyone who frames the question this way is “not at all tied to the present,” nor to the “Yes, but—” and “We have to—” and “There’s no other way—” arguments.
But people need a vision for the future: "A vision in which they themselves play a part."
A Delicious Finale
The DSTNCMP participantsresponded with a long round of applause to the brilliant overview of the major social issues of our time.
During dinner at the Heritage restaurant on the top floor of the building, philosophical and critical reflections on contemporary issues remained a topic of conversation for quite some time—until Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, and Rosso Salentino, paired with shrimp skewers, beef brisket, goat cheese, tuna tataki, quinoa, truffle orecchiette, and strawberry trifle, captured everyone’s attention and delighted their palates.