The Media Dialogue organised by the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg offers a forum for exchange across industries that is unique in Germany. The event starts with a reception hosted by Hamburg’s Senate for some 300 guests. The First Mayor and Minister President, Dr Peter Tschentscher, gives a keynote speech on media policy. An internationally renowned speaker then provides further impetus to the debates on media development beyond Germany’s borders. Former speakers at the Media Dialogue include John Podesta, Counsellor to President Obama and Hillary Clinton Presidential Campaign Chairman; Jōichi Itō, Director of the Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Salim Ismail, Director and co-founder of Singularity University in Silicon Valley and Zeynep Tufekci, School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina.
On the following day the discussion continues in an exclusive setting. A small circle of executives from relevant firms and associations exchange views with the First Mayor in a confidential atmosphere. Included are journalistic and artistic content providers – print media, private and public radio broadcasting, telemedia, music and film industry – as well as the advertising industry, platforms and technical infrastructure providers. There are no panels at this several-hour-long conference; the approximately 40, personally invited participants will all discuss the issues together and benefit from the mutual exchange of ideas.
The Dialogue's Impact
The senate reception and the conference serve to reach agreement on common goals and possible strategies to reconcile conflicting interests in the digital world. As such, the Media Dialogue was instrumental in the establishment of the Bund-Länder-Commission on Media Convergence. The commission has drafted recommendations for media regulations that are in keeping with modern thinking and practices.
The young executives meeting - the New Leaders’ Forum - has become the third pillar of the Media Dialogue. Selected media and communication agencies each send two up-and-coming young executives, who will also attend the senate reception, to this networking and exchange event. Topics discussed in the past years were, for example, data as the basis for new business models and the question whether established media sectors will be able to meet the demands of the next generation.
The Media Dialogue Hamburg is held by the Senate of Hamburg in co-operation with partners from the business community, associations and institutions.