Q Berlin Questions: The second international Berlin discourse platform starts today at the E-Werk

Berlin, 16 November 2018  What constitutes good governance in times of political upheaval? How can cyberspace become a respectful environment? How can a free society be achieved or defended? How will genetic engineering change our society? At the second Q Berlin Questions conference on 16 November, experts from Germany and abroad will be discussing the key issues of our time with 500 guests at the E-Werk in Berlin. 

Christian Rickerts, State Secretary at the Senate Department for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, says: “Important questions are never trivial. This year’s Q Berlin Questions will address issues of social and economic justice, ethics in science and technology, and cultural identity. Q Berlin Questions once again brings international experts with exciting ideas together in Berlin to ask important questions and look for answers.”

“Berlin is a city of freedom and tolerance, which in these times makes it the ideal place to discuss the biggest challenges that society currently faces. For the second time, we have invited some of the world’s finest and most courageous minds to our city,” says Burkhard Kieker, managing director ofvisitBerlin

Fourteen speakers will present their ideas, including Nighat Dad, director of the Digital Rights Foundation in Pakistan, Styli Charalambous, publisher of the independent South African online news platform Daily Maverick, Ivan Lam Long-Yin, student leader and chair of the pro-democratic party Demosistō Hong Kong, and Vicente Fox, former president of Mexico and one of President Trump’s fiercest critics.

Excursions to the city: the conference makes a showplace of Berlin

Unlike other conferences, Q Berlin Questions takes in the entire city, making Berlin into its showplace. Guided excursions on the day after the conference take the participants to institutions and civic engagement projects that deal with the topics discussed at the Q. These include Connect Women, a project by Terre de Femmes to support female refugees after they arrive in Berlin, and Flussbad Berlin e.V, a society dedicated to transforming the Spree Canal.

Further raising Berlin’s brand profile in the congress sector

Q Berlin Questions celebrated its successful debut last year. At the first conference in October 2017, participants from more than 60 countries travelled to Germany’s capital city. Q Berlin Questions was initiated by the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office on behalf of the city of Berlin. The conference will further raise the city’s brand profile as a venue for liberal discourse. Q is curated and organised by the visitBerlin Berlin Convention Office and red onion GmbH in cooperation with around 40 of the city’s partners such as Deutsche Bahn AG, TOA, Factory, Impact HUB, Land of Idea, ESMT and many more.

Impressions of the conference can be found on Twitter at #qBerlin.

For more information go to www.q.berlin.