Review: e-Commerce Day 2024

Dieser Beitrag ist auch verfügbar auf: Deutsch (German) English

The 12th e-Commerce Day was a complete success! On April 26, 2024, visitors, exhibitors, partners and speakers gathered at the RheinEnergieSTADION for a fantastic experience. The excitement and approval of everyone involved speaks for itself – this was an event that brought the relevant players in the industry together!

The big event kicked off the evening before. Over 400 guests came together at the beach BBQ in the sand of Cologne’s Playa Beachclub to get in the mood for e-Commerce Day, network and exchange ideas with (industry) colleagues.
Despite the low temperatures, the relaxed beach atmosphere, including a barbecue buffet, cocktails and beach volleyball tournament, created a great atmosphere – the perfect opening before the actual start!

Congratulations to the mixed team ‘Sand Heroes’ from Mailody and Ratepay for winning the beach volleyball tournament!

Aufschlag beim Beachvolleyball-Turnier

From the beach to the stadium: the next morning, Dr. Gerald Schönbucher, CEO of Kaufland e-commerce, gave the starting signal for a day full of inspiration with his welcome keynote and kicked off the trade fair with exciting updates on Kaufland Global Marketplace.

Georg Schönbucher auf der Bühne des e-Commerce Days

The event continued for more than 2,000 participants with plenty of e-commerce insights on three speaker stages and in hands-on masterclasses. Around 100 exhibitors filled the walkways of the RheinEngerieSTADION and presented their innovative ideas on 4,000 square meters of exhibition space.

BA special highlight away from the industry-relevant topics were the exclusive insights into the soccer stadium of 1. FC Köln. The doors to the grandstand were always open so that all participants could sit in the VIP area and enjoy the unique stadium atmosphere to the fullest. Interested parties were able to experience the real FC feeling up close as part of a stadium tour.

Innenansicht des RheinEnergieSTADIONS

On the stages, the wide range of speakers provided multifaceted perspectives on trending topics such as AI, internationalization, tools, user experience, multichannel strategies and many more.

There was particular enthusiasm for the presentations by the VIP speakers: Matthias Sammer spoke about his personal experiences in dealing with hierarchical leadership. In an extensive exchange with interview partner Gerald Schönbucher and the interactive audience, the German football official and current advisor to Borussia Dortmund explained the parallels between competitive sport and corporate management.

Fußballfunktionär Matthias Sammer im Interview mit Gerald Schönbucher

At the talk with Smudo, the co-founder of the band ‘Die Fantastischen Vier’, no seat in front of the stage remained empty. The audience listened with interest to his explanations about the influence of AI on the music business and his entertaining insights into the world of music.

Smudo

Freshly inspired, numerous participants took the opportunity to discuss the new findings with familiar and new contacts over dinner afterwards.

e-Commerce Day-Teilnehmer in angeregten Gesprächen auf der Aftershow

However, by the time the after-show party really got going with the beats of David Puentez, everyone was out on the dance floor to round off the day together.

DJ David Puentez am Mischpult bei der After-Show-Party

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone who made the event such a success with their presence – we are already looking forward to welcoming you back next year!