Jasmin Wölke moderates congresses in Stuttgart in English and German, across several days and several stages. Her corporate references include the Digital Transformation Conference: three days, 20 speakers, more than 600 participants, two languages.
The ICS and the logistics of the large format
The ICS Internationales Congresscenter at the trade fair grounds is built for congresses with a plenary, parallel tracks and an exhibition: halls in a row, exhibitor space, the airport right next door for arriving speakers. The Liederhalle carries a congress in the middle of the city, with halls of different sizes for plenary and expert forums. A multi day congress asks both venues the same questions: how do several hundred people arrive at the same time each morning, how do they find their session, where does lunch fit without breaking the schedule? Within this logistics the moderation is the bracket that holds the programme together audibly for everyone.
Congress topics of an engineering region
Stuttgart congresses negotiate what the region builds: mechanical engineering, automotive, electrical engineering, medical technology. Professional societies and associations like to place their congresses close to trade fairs such as AMB or R+T, which bring the right audience to town anyway; both run every two years. This audience does the maths. Whoever introduces sessions here has to use terminology correctly and quote figures precisely. Many programmes mix German and international participants, and single tracks run entirely in English. Before every congress Jasmin works through the programme and its vocabulary and talks to session chairs and keynote speakers in advance.
Keeping three days alive
The first congress day almost carries itself: the opening is rehearsed, the hall is full. The real work starts on day two, when the audience is more tired, the programme denser and the schedule shows its first dents. Jasmin begins every congress morning in the control room: what has shifted, who has dropped out, what changes in the plenary? On stage she frames the day for those who missed yesterday and varies her introductions instead of repeating formulas. The Digital Transformation Conference is a corporate reference, not a Stuttgart event; it demonstrates exactly this craft across three days and two languages. How the formats differ is explained on the page about the difference between event, conference and congress moderation.
A multi day congress as a home game
At a congress the short distance pays off twice. Jasmin is based in Ludwigsburg, fifteen minutes from the city centre by suburban train: site visit and dress rehearsal happen in person, hotel and travel logistics disappear from the congress days, and late programme changes are discussed on site the next morning. Send the date, the venue and the state of your programme through the contact form; a briefing and a written quote follow. The format is explained on the congress moderation page, and there is more about the city on the Stuttgart city page.