Munich Startup: The IAA Mobility starts this week in Munich. Could you give us a brief overview of the main topics and of the formats that are planned?
Christine von Breitenbuch: The IAA Mobility is presenting the future of mobility, up close and personal. More than 1,000 exhibitors and speakers will be presenting their innovations and concepts. There will be more than 700 exhibitors, including car brands, bike brands, important players in the tech sector and all of the key companies in the supplier industry. Within the framework on the IAA, more than 100 world premieres will be presented. And: The IAA Mobility 2021 is putting the main focus on the transformation to climate neutral mobility as one of the most important global challenges.
Sustainable transformation of mobility
The most important formats for industry visitors are the ‘IAA Mobility Summit’ in the Munich exhibition halls and the ‘IAA Mobility Conference,’ with four stages where more than 500 international speakers from the mobility and digital sectors, as well as scientists and representatives from politics and NGOs, will be giving talks. All of the presentations are about the sustainable transformation of mobility.
The IAA Mobility is also hybrid, which means the ‘IAA Mobility Virtual’ format provides all key program content in digital form, giving everyone around the world access to the exciting topics of mobility.
Munich Startup: How are startups presented at the IAA?
Christine von Breitenbuch: Startups from the various fields of the mobility industry will also be at the conference and will be given a broader platform than in recent years. Halls A1, B1 and B2 will see more than 76 international startups divided among four Startup Areas covering 1,500 m². The focus will be on concepts and products in the fields of autonomous driving, assistance systems, lidar and camera systems, AI, alternative powertrains, sound/audio design, bike & motor solutions (e-bikes and delivery bikes), charging infrastructure, battery technology, materials and smart city.
We’ve also created “Founders Day” in collaboration with Bits & Pretzels. It’s a table captain format where startups meet up with fantastic investors, VCs and angel investors from the Bits & Pretzels network. This networking format is exclusive and free for all registered startups at the IAA Mobility 2021 and offers these young companies the unique opportunity to network with well-known investors. The event will be held on November 9 on the exhibition grounds of Messe München.
Together with our partner PwC, the Next Level Startup Challenge will also be held. For anyone who would like to participate and present their results live at the IAA Mobility on September 7: all information can be found here.
Munich Startup: Is it also possible for visitors to meet startups directly? If yes, how and where?
Christine von Breitenbuch: Industry visitors have the opportunity to meet startups directly all week long. And starting on Friday, September 10, interested parties can also visit the Summit, the industry part of the IAA Mobility, with an “Extended Open Space” ticket.
Startup lounge & pitch sessions
In general: every startup will have its own stand at the conference. That is also where some exhibits will be on display. Several startups will also be presenting themselves to visitors in the Startup Lounge. In 15-minute pitch sessions, the startups will present their products/vision/company and will then be able to interact with interested visitors.
Munich Startup: What highlights at the IAA are a must-see for visitors?
Christine von Breitenbuch: There really is so much available for general visitors to experience. On the one hand, we have our Open Space in downtown Munich, which offers an extensive program for the entire family, including Kids World on Marstallplatz and test drives with bikes and e-scooters. And then we have Open Space Extended in halls B4 – B6 at the exhibition center and the Experience Area on the exhibition grounds is open to everyone during the entire IAA Mobility. This is where we have IAA Heritage by Motorworld, where visitors can view classic cars and sports cars as well as two bike halls, where more than 75 bike brands will be showcasing their innovations.
Blue Lane Road links the Open Space with the exhibition center
In the outside space of the exhibition grounds, anyone who would like do to a bit of mountain biking can test out an obstacle course, and there’s also a safety training course for pedelecs for seniors. There’s something for everyone. Starting on Friday, the whole area will be open to everyone. That includes the Summit as well as a concert on Friday evening by the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra with Milk and Sugar, and an extremely interesting stage show in hall A3 on Saturday with ProsiebenSat1. Last but not least, you should definitely take the opportunity to try out a vehicle on the Blue Lane. A particularly exciting aspect is Blue Lane Road, which is a transportation project that links the Open Space and the exhibition center. It’s where approximately 250 vehicles from our exhibitors will be available, so alternative drive technologies and autonomous driving can be experienced and tried out.
Munich Startup: What mobility topics do you find particularly exciting?
Christine von Breitenbuch: The most exciting topic to me is the exchange of ideas that we want to encourage as a mobility platform. We have the Citizens Lab on Marienplatz, which is the place for exchanging ideas about the future of mobility, especially with a focus on the development of living space in the city and in the country. This is where anyone can and should have the chance to speak, to actively express their opinion and discuss different approaches – from a critical perspective as well. There will also be a Dialog Arena there, where interesting discussions and talks will be held on stage and also with the audience. There will be two Workshop Areas and interesting exhibitors who will be presenting their projects. Then there’s also the IAA Conference, which will be held on four stages with nearly 500 speakers as part of the Summit at the exhibition center. It’s fascinating offer covers interesting topics and discussions about the direction in which mobility can and should develop in the future.
Enter the code “STUP3_IAA2021” for a 30% discount off the Conference & Summit Ticket Basic. But don’t wait too long, the discount code is limited to 20 tickets.