Purpose, Culture and Change in the world of work

Chairman Marc W. Lorch, who opened the event and led the programme for two days, was enthusiastic about the exceptional quality of the contributions and the valuable discussions. "For us as a manufacturer and for our partners and customers, the contributions were very inspiring to understand the changes in the world of work and to be able to use them in the future," he said. "The topics of the convention employer branding, resilience, health and sustainability are not only megatrends of today, but have great relevance for the development of attractive office concepts," emphasised Marc W. Lorch, who took over as CEO at König + Neurath in April. "As a holistic process facilitator in the design of new working environments, we see ourselves in a key role here."

At the event, more than 400 guests discussed how offices can be designed to offer employees a place to feel good and at the same time enable the most diverse ways of working. In her presentation "Mental Health@Work", expert Nora Dietrich showed how organisations create the best possible framework conditions for healthy work and how they strengthen mental health instead of endangering it. Towards the end of the first day, this important aspect was taken up again in the panel talk with Klaas Heufer-Umlauf and set in relation to the needs of Generation Z. The important role that meaningful work or innovative furnishing concepts play in the transformation of the working world was also emphasised several times in this context. The keynote speech No limits by the extreme athlete Joey Kelly also inspired the guests. The core statement "Never give up" not only shaped his entire childhood, but also spurs him on to top sporting performances to this day.

Another topic at the Work Culture Event was the broad field of sustainability. In the panel talk, König + Neurath sustainability expert Johannes Brennig and his guests Nora Sophie Griefahn, Ruth Prinzmeier and Simon Wehr explored the question of how organisations can best meet their responsibility towards the environment and society and what measures can contribute to this. In the subsequent keynote "Green shell - green core? On trend surfing and truly future-proof products." Simon Wehr gave in-depth insights into sustainable product development.

On the second day, the panel talk with chef Ole Plogstedt, who promoted a vegan diet in a sympathetic way, delighted the guests. The acclaimed final whistle was blown by the internationally renowned football referee Deniz Aytekin with his topic "Leadership with Respect". He pointed out numerous parallels between the football field and the company and pleaded for appreciative leadership at eye level as well as for responsibility and courage as the basis for decision-making.

Marc W. Lorch drew a very positive overall conclusion: "Setting up the event as a convention with experts and prominent guests was a great success. We hit the nerve of the time with the selection of speakers as well as with the topics. I am sure that we were able to give our guests many valuable impulses and insights. The relaxed atmosphere, which invited networking, was highly praised. We look forward to a sequel."