It will soon be half-time in the startup year 2025, but when it comes to attractive events, experience shows that Hamburg really gets going in the second half of the year. To make sure you don't miss any highlights and can plan ahead, here is an overview of the top dates for the coming months.
Events July to September
Before the summer holidays begin on 24 July, the startup calendar in Hamburg still has a few attractions to offer. On 3 July, for example, it's time for the second edition of Butter bei die FinTechs - the theme is clear from the name of the event at the Design Zentrum Hamburg. The ITCS on 4 July at the Hamburg Messe defines itself as a tech conference, IT career fair and festival. On 9 July, foodactive celebrates its Summer Party, at which startups from the Food Cluster will also play a role. An absolute must every year is the Hamburg Innovation Summit, which takes place on 10 July in the Oberhafenquartier.
August offers opportunity to take a breather again, but even September is not quite as packed as in previous years. The AiDiA Pitch is taking a break in 2025 and there is still no confirmation of the date for the culinary OPEN MOUTH Festival. This also officially applies to the Hamburger Gründerpreis, but you should keep 8 September free to be on the safe side. In any case, the publisher conference scoopcamp on 10 September and the KI-Summit on 16 September have a fixed date. The Reeperbahn Festival from 17 to 20 September is not only a top event for music fans; as usual, the NEXT Conference with topics from the digital world is also embedded there, this year on 18 September. Lastly, the final of the Gründergeist startup competition is on the agenda on 25 September.
Events October to December
A series of event highlights can be expected for the 4th quarter as well. Not all plans have been finalised yet, but some dates have already been set. On 21 October, the AI.SUMMIT will bring guests up to date on the latest developments in artificial intelligence. From 21 to 23 October, Hamburg will once again position itself as a hydrogen metropolis with the Hydrogen Technology World Expo. Young professionals can find out about jobs in the digital sector at the Online Career Day on 23 October. On 6 November, the HubDay of the Digital Hub Logistics & Commerce will offer a varied programme. And at the AI Media Leaders on 27 November the focus will once more be on artificial intelligence.
Events outside Hamburg
Of course, numerous events of great importance to the startup and digital world also take place outside Hamburg. DMEXCO on 17 and 18 September in Cologne is primarily aimed at the marketing scene. From 29 September to 1 October, participation in Bits & Pretzels can be combined with a visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich. EXPO REAL from 6 to 8 October, also in Munich, is aimed at the real estate sector. And to round off the year, two European metropolises will once again attract the startup world: Lisbon with the Web Summit from 10 to 13 November and Helsinki with Slush on 19 and 20 November.
