Shaping the future together
Under the motto "Get inspired & get active", the Melitta Trend Day took place at the BVB Stadium in Dortmund in February. The event offered a mix of inspiration, networking and interactive experiences.
Approximately 100 colleagues convened at Germany's largest football stadium, SIGNAL IDUNA PARK, to explore trends and probe into the future of customer experience. The event focused on analyzing trends, investigating new technologies, and fostering connections among innovators within the Melitta Group, all under the guidance of the Corporate Innovation Team.
"Get inspired"
The event commenced with a pair of keynote addresses: René Korte provided an engaging summary of trend relevance and its effects on consumer expectations. Nils Müller, the Managing Director of Trendone, the trend and innovation agency, guided the attendees on an interactive exploration of the year 2030, showcasing emerging technologies that may shape future customer experiences.
"Get active"
In the late morning and afternoon, four interactive stations invited participants to actively engage and experiment: At the "Metaverse" station, participants dived into virtual realities, previewing future retail concepts. They used VR glasses to virtually shop for Melitta products or play table tennis. At the "Trend Café," participants explored trends and their potential impact on their products and business models. The "Future Personas" station focused on future customer profiles, analyzing how trends might influence target groups and the resulting expectations for products and employers.
At the "AI Experience" station, demonstrations showed how generative artificial intelligence can create voice and video content, develop product concepts, and streamline daily tasks. Using Melitta's GenAI solution "Melina 2.0" and other AI tools, examples illustrated how these tools can enhance customer experience. Notably, the Digital Acceleration Team (DAT) demonstrated how generative AI – "Melina" – is already valuable for various use cases. Breaks and a communal lunch provided opportunities for networking and getting to know one another.
"We hope the participants left with many inspiring ideas," stated Saskia Meltzer from the Corporate Innovation Team. "Through events like Trend Day, we aim to create environments that encourage inspiration and action – environments where future visions and trends are not just presented but experienced," added her colleague Claudia Albert. "Previous events, such as Trend Day or the Innovation Roadshow, have proven the importance of in-person interactions with colleagues from different company areas."
