Finally back on #Klassenfahrt

19.04.2023

After a way too long break, I finally had the opportunity to attend the beyond tellerrand conference in Düsseldorf again. The less successful predecessors "event canceled because of COVID" (2020) and "bad feeling because COVID still too widespread" (2021) and "ticket bought, but on time COVID in da house" (2022) had made the anticipation this year skyrocket. So after 2015 to 2019 and the live stream replacement 2022 finally again two days packed with ... well with ... quite a lot ...

Inspiration

Of course, it's not just the speakers who provide permanent inspiration on the two days, but they undoubtedly play a significant role. It doesn't matter to me whether the talk has more of an artistic or a technical focus. In general, it's the way they dedicate themselves to a cause, how much passion and time they invest and with what enthusiasm they report on it. It's all incredibly inspiring! For me, it ranges from fascination to disbelief. Yes, exactly, for example the one with the goat!

Personality

The fact that beyond tellerrand is a very personal conference is primarily due to Marc, the organizer. With his attention to detail and his welcoming and open manner, he creates the perfect setting to feel comfortable on site. Through permanent - but not at all intrusive - hints he motivates the participants to reach out others (“Who already met someone new during the break?”) and also to be open and inviting for others in existing groups, for example by making sure to leave an open space in discussion groups. It's amazing how attentive the community is in this regard and this is quickly becoming a lived practice among everyone.

All this makes it easier to get in touch with the many interesting people in the field and to exchange ideas, but this does not diminish the amount of inspiration :) In the past years I have made many contacts in this way, some of them very personal. So it's no wonder that a feeling of #Klassenfahrt arises when all the follks make their way to Düsseldorf every year. But not enough, new people are added to the mix who were previously only known via the web or not at all.

In addition, there are talks, some of which have a very personal topic, are presented with a lot of insights or even involve you directly.

Motivation

The trick is now to retain the many impulses over a longer period of time and not to fall back into the usual daily routine too quickly. There is definitely enough motivation after the conference ... and after all, every day is a day to think outside the box and to take a look beyond your tellerrand!

I am looking forward to next year!