530 participants, 30 lectures and 400 one-to-one meetings. Inspirational conversations and an intensive exchange. Beaming faces and exquisite catering. Sparklers and a spectacular disco set-up. The ECD also exceeded expectations on its fifth birthday .
„We truly believe that the mission of the ECD is to contribute to the platform performance of European players. And that is the reason you are here. «Matthias Schulte opened the fifth ECD with his keynote on the subject of digital (r) evolution. For him, the platform business is an essential part of the current digital development, if not a revolution in the previous thinking and business models of retail in general. Why? »Retailers turn their B2C business models from buying and selling into B2B service offers for connected brands and vendors. On the other side, brands now do it the other way around, turning their B2B business into DTC and soon covering everything around the last mile to the consumer. „
Consistent customer orientation, development of new services for digital trade, future strategies – central topics of the ECD, which were also discussed during the discussions on the main stage in the Wappenhalle and the presentations in the channels, best practice and deep dive slots. Top-class speakers from Amazon, Zalando, Otto, Adidas, Wayfair or Mustang and industry experts such as Jochen Krisch and Alexander Graf provided input and inspiration for the countless conversations between the visitors. Networking at its best – the ECD is and remains the unique mixture of congress and business meeting.
The ECD platform – more than an event
The ECD itself is also in the midst of its evolution. Started as a networking event, Matthias Schulte presented the concept of the ECD of the future: The ECD will become the platform for the platforms. In the future, the main event in May will be accompanied by smaller events throughout the year. The brand new website will be the hub for current e-commerce topics and interviews with the big names in the industry. An enlargement of the event is planned for 2020 – the ECD will be more interactive and therefore even more present. Speaking of innovation and evolution: This year, the ECD not only shone in a new, fresh design, but also with a new motto: »Engage, Connect, Digitize« . A call for activity, for collaboration and for the courage and will for consistent digitization.
Intoxicated by the intensive exchange of words and the flow of information during the day, the ECD anniversary ended with an exquisite dinner from Feinkost Käfer and a glittering party. The ECD visitors danced until the early hours of the morning under a sparkling disco ball sky to the beats of DJ Markus Winter, before saying goodbye to the Wappenhalle for a year.
See you all in 2020 – and don’t forget: Play Digital!
