Images © Courtesy Monocle
Another year has passed and MONOCLE is once again rolling out their Quality of Life Conference, a rarified symposium to gather, share ideas, discuss cities and what's next in societies and urban centers around the world. From branding, hospitality, retail, and entrepreneurship to development, sustainability, high-speed transport, and design, MQOLC gathers the best and brightest minds to share and inform attendees along with entertainment, good food, drink, and conversation. The Monocle Quality of Life Conference runs from Thursday June 29 until Saturday July 1, 2017.
List of Speakers, Panelists and Special Guests:
HIGH-SPEED NATION
A quick-fire chronicle of Germany's past
James Hawes is the author of ‘The Shortest History of Germany’ and we’ve set him an even more challenging task – explaining the nation in 15 minutes. It’s a fast-paced primer on our host nation.
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BRAND BERLIN
Is this Europe’s most important city?
The German capital has become home to numerous start-ups and people from around the globe. And despite its complex past, it is an outpost of liberalism, possibility, and ambition. How can other cities learn from its successes – and the challenges it’s faced? Panelists will include celebrated architect Daniel Libeskind, who created the Jewish Museum Berlin, outspoken typographer Erik Spiekermann and forthright mayor Franziska Giffey.
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STAY WITH ME, EAT WITH ME
What hospitality should do next
The world of hospitality has been shaken up by our changing lives, tastes and expectations like never before – and then there's Airbnb snapping at the heels of hotels around the globe. But hoteliers and restaurateurs are fighting back and doing rather well, thank you. We meet three star players who know about making communities, delivering experiences and taking care of a new generation of diners and travellers.
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THE FUTURE OF RETAIL
From clicks to department stores, how to thrive
Be it online or on the high street, retail is changing fast. We convene the players, including mall developers and pop-up suppliers, who know what happens next – and how to keep your business vital. Speakers: Mohamed Haouache, CEO of Paris-based Storefront; Lyn Harris, founder of Perfumer H; and Sarah McNally, founder of McNally Jackson.
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SPEED DATING FOR ENTREPRENEURS
How it's done
Entrepreneurs take us on a journey through their business experiences: from elevator pitches to running a successful company.
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PROPERTY’S NEXT MOVE
What developers should do
The firms with winning formulas, new ideas and the ambition to change how you live convene to reveal how the sector is growing and why it’s no longer business as usual. Speakers will include Ryan Prince, co-founder of the Realstar Group, on how Uncle will reinvent rentals; Stefan Höglmaier, founder of Euoboden, on upping the quality of housing; and Monica von Schmalensee, CEO of White Arkitekter.
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HEALTHY INCOME
Making money while keeping cities fit
The fitness business is pulling in new and inventive players. Who are the workout and healthy-eating fixers of the future? Hear from fitness leaders such as Paco Savio, co-founder of gym brand Balboa Move; Erez Galonska, the CEO of Infarm who knows how to turn our cities into farms; and Özden Akyildiz, founder of the world’s first virtual farming platform, Komşuköy.
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THINGS WE LIKE
Intelligence shared
Tyler Brûlé, our editor in chief, primes you on the things you need to see from around the globe that will inspire your life and travels in the months ahead.
THE SECRET CITY
Spies, art and strange stories
The mysteries and intrigues of Berlin revealed by leading film players, writers and art dealers. Head into the city’s shadows to understand the lure of Berlin with Anna Winger, creator of hit TV drama Deutschland 83, and Carl Woebcken, CEO of the city’s Babelsberg film studios.
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SEAMLESS MOVES
Future of transport
The biggest mobility-thinkers on the future of transport – and the cities getting it right. And how do we make cities where mobility works for young and old? Speakers: Magnus Schmidt, the scooter maverick, Deutsche Bahn’s big thinker Meike Niedbal, and Dan Stubbergaard of Danish architecture firm Cobe.
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MEDIA MAKERS
Print bites back
How Germany is creating a media model that mixes print and digital in better ways – and what leading editors think it says about the future of news, leisure and advertising. We will be joined by Christoph Amend, editor in chief of Zeitmagazin, and Penny Martin, editor in chief of The Gentlewoman.
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THIS IS MY BERLIN: AFTER DARK
When the lights go out
Berlin is a city that thrives after sunset. We give you a high-speed tour to a side of the city you need to know.
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THIS IS MY BERLIN: ARTISTIC LICENCE
Creative City
What is it like to live in the German capital as an artist? We paint a picture of the inspiration and intrigue it provides for its creative residents.
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THIS IS MY BERLIN: BUILDING SOCIETY
Framework of a city
Explore the city's structures with our perfect guide: the Berlin architect and professor of design theory at Hamburg University of Fine Art.
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LAND OF ICE AND FIRE
The small city with big ambitions
He runs a city that has been shaken by everything from a collapsing economy to volcano ash clouds but which today is having to plan for almost too much success as tourist numbers boom in Reykjavík. What does the city’s mayor see happening in the future, what can everyone learn from the plucky player who’s come out on top and what are the secrets of good leadership?
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