INNOVATION in Berlin - BESTIVAL Masterclass 2024
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From a traditional congress to the innovative BVL Supply Chain CX
Summary of the blog post
Take a behind-the-scenes look at the transformation of the German Logistics Congress into the BVL Supply Chain CX – an innovative event format that blends traditional congress elements with a festival vibe.
Christoph Meyer, Managing Director of the BVL, shares his vision in this interview and explains how the focus on community building, interactivity, and creative experiential formats was achieved. From “Logistics Escape Rooms” to live acts and theme-focused “Connect Tables”: discover how the future of logistics is brought to life.
From a traditional congress to a event with a festival vibe – what inspired the transformation?
“We recognised that the DLK (German Logistics Congress) brand, although well-established after more than 40 years, required a significant evolution: more opportunities for our partners and brands, new content formats, and the engagement of younger leaders. The aim was to create a true community event that spans all levels of seniority.
At the same time, it was crucial to preserve the seriousness, high-quality content, and the strong networking character of the event. It is now both a congress and, with the addition of the new expo area, partially reminiscent of a festival. At its core, the event continues to combine in-depth expertise with networking highlights. We aim to create a broad foundation and highlight the diversity of logistics even more prominently. The new name of our flagship event and its concept visibly reflect this transformation, increasing its overall appeal.
It was essential to design the event in a way that reflects the current and future challenges of the logistics sector. And that’s exactly what it achieved in October 2024, without losing sight of the fact that a touch of ease and fun can make even the toughest challenges more manageable when tackled together.”
Christoph Meyer auf dem BVL Supply Chain CX
How did you implement the festival vibe in the expo area, and what feedback did you receive?
“That seemed too contrasting to me: we wanted to retain the best aspects of a congress within a newly envisioned overall format. Based on participant feedback, we achieved just that.
In addition to other new formats and a refreshed look, including a new name, the expo area was a key focus of our reinvention. It has indeed been designed as an offering with a festival vibe. Here, we particularly targeted colleagues with operational responsibilities. We succeeded by combining professional exchange across four stages—featuring formats like live podcasts and panel discussions in the startup scene—with elements of networking and fun. From the ‘Logistics Escape Room Game’ and themed ‘Connect Tables’ to an outstanding karaoke session during the CX party on the second day and live acts, we created interactive opportunities throughout the expo area that provided both knowledge and enjoyment for every participant.
In this variety of formats, we see parallels to trends in the festival world. With the CX, we have ultimately established a community event that highlights the diversity of logistics in a contemporary way while staying focused on the essentials: the future of logistics and the people who shape it.”
How do you encourage interaction and community building among the diverse target audience of the CX?
“Our target audience includes everyone who enables and shapes supply chains: from ‘hardcore logisticians’ to HR professionals, IT specialists, and marketers; from team leaders to project developers at all seniority levels; from managing directors and controllers to apprentices and CEOs.
To meet this diversity and high expectations, it was essential—particularly for me—to design the CX from the perspective of participants, exhibitors, and partners, aligning with their needs. With 40 themed ‘Connect Tables,’ a professional matchmaking feature in the app, multiple gamification elements, live entertainment acts, a karaoke session, and much more, we elevated networking to a whole new level.
Through the new expo area and the aforementioned formats, we aimed to further integrate professional relevance and a forward-looking focus on the supply chain with the networking and community-building efforts of the BVL, making it tangible for everyone. Interaction and connections are the lifeblood of not just modern society but also the supply chain community. This is the interactive purpose of the BVL as the network for logistics and supply chains in Germany.
Despite these changes, the quality of content, the core networking purpose, and the German Logistics Award remain integral to the event. Innovations and outstanding achievements in logistics will continue to be judged by an independent jury, ensuring the award retains its prestige and impact.”
“We are proud to have revitalised the central networking and community event for the supply chain sector, bringing it into a forward-looking era. This transformation has frequently been described to us as ‘extremely successful.’ Or, as one participant so aptly put it on social media: ‘BVL has reinvented its German Logistics Congress after more than 40 years as the BVL Supply Chain CX.’”
The experiential aspect of events is becoming increasingly important. What insights have you gained?
“Through rigorous and transparent feedback analysis, as well as leveraging our BVL network, we approached what I mentioned earlier with creativity and cross-team passion for logistics: the courage to innovate and plan with the perspective of the target groups we aimed to welcome at the CX.
The result was interaction spaces that were both professionally grounded and authentically emotionalised, while also being openly and diversely designed. We are convinced that spaces for exchange and concrete opportunities are essential. The positive feedback we received on features like the Logistics Escape Room, the karaoke session, the Connect Tables, and the event app confirms this approach. We’re taking these insights forward as we begin planning for CX 2025.
We feel validated that this approach was the right one and are committed to expanding it further. We are proud to have revitalised the central networking and community event for the supply chain sector, bringing it into a forward-looking era. This has been frequently reflected back to us as ‘extremely successful.’ Or, as one participant beautifully phrased it on social media: ‘BVL has reinvented its German Logistics Congress after more than 40 years as the BVL Supply Chain CX.’”
What new formats encourage interaction in a relaxed atmosphere?
“Networking is embedded in virtually every aspect of the CX, intentionally designed across both the congress and expo areas. We are fully aware that the requirements for networking opportunities can vary, which is why we introduced features like the ‘BaCXstage,’ Connect Tables, an exhibitor rally, the Logistics Escape Room, a karaoke session during the CX Party, and several live acts. These created spaces for professional exchange as well as true ‘fun zones,’ catering to all CX participants.
In addition, we established a dedicated ‘Networking Night’ in the congress area, exclusively for congress attendees. At its heart was the ‘Blue Angel Lounge,’ a central space where C-level executives, top decision-makers, and leaders could connect in a relaxed and secure environment.
All expo formats were also accessible to congress attendees, resulting in vibrant and active interaction throughout all areas.”
What challenges did you face during the development process?
"It would be both wrong and naive to push changes of this scale without expecting resistance or challenges. Overall, we received a great deal of support and validation from many sides, but we still encountered obstacles along the way that we had to overcome.
On one hand, the German Logistics Congress was so deeply rooted in people’s minds that not everyone could immediately grasp our vision for the CX. For me personally, it required a mental shift after years of DLK routines to create space for new ideas and impulses. This affected all interactions within BVL, involving stakeholders such as our committees—from the Scientific Advisory Board to the Executive Board—external service providers, various departments within our office, and a wide array of partners.
The resistance we faced was more of a soft nature, such as time constraints, lengthy approval loops, or simply a lack of experience in implementing an event redesign of this magnitude. Thankfully, there were no major obstacles we couldn’t overcome together. What we ultimately achieved through close collaboration with all BVL committees, the office team, on-site partners, exhibitors, speakers, and everyone else involved makes me very happy and proud.
Resistance is inevitable, but we approached it with the core spirit of BVL: fostering cooperation and finding innovative solutions."
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