In addition to top-class members of the management of leading imaging companies such as Canon, CEWE and Imaging Solutions, companies from the photo trade and image services as well as independent experts presented their ideas and concepts. In her keynote address "The future is made of courage", the book author, economist and labor scientist Simone Gerwers suggested right at the start of the congress to react to the current crises not with worry or even fear, but with a "burst of courage". Of course, this also applies to the retail sector, which has to face special challenges. Ralf Haberich, CEO of the specialist for shopping apps and omnichannel, Shopgate, showed how digital and stationary sales platforms can be intelligently interlinked with customer-centric omnichannel solutions under the title "What customers really expect... is not a coffee bar in the store".

In doing so, he presented the results of a recent study for which 2,300 consumers as well as retailers from various industries were surveyed on behalf of Shopgate. What new technologies and media such as NFT and the Metaverse mean for the future of retail was the topic of Marilyn Repp, Deputy Managing Director of the Mittelstand-Digital Zentrum Handel in the HDE. The sought-after retail expert, who has been dealing with digitization, innovations and trends in retail for many years, called out to companies in the industry: Get out of the comfort zone - into the future! Experts from the photo and imaging industry discussed which product categories the photo trade can use to address new target groups in view of declining sales figures in the camera business.

Of course, image services also played a role: Cewe CEO Dr. Reiner Fageth showed how artificial intelligence (AI) can support customers in selecting images without turning them into "transparent consumers". From the photo trade, the management of Foto Erhardt demonstrated how an owner-managed company can operate successfully on the market and grow profitably despite declining demand on the camera market and tough competition from well-funded competitors.