48forward started back in 2015 with the vision to create a conference that is not about products or companies, but about technological and social trends and their impact on our daily lives and work.

What started out with a conference developed into a whole universe of projects - innovative events, editorial formats and an international community of creative minds that dare to shape the future.

A year ago, most of us defined our society and economy as progressive, prospering, future-proof, and secure. A couple of months later, we had to learn that everything can change from one moment to another - just by the outbreak of a disease that lead to an international pandemic.

The security we felt before the chaos set in was an illusion. But it made us sluggish and lazy. We haven't been ready for change or disruption because we did everything to secure the status quo.

Besides all the negative effects of the pandemic, we now have the singular opportunity to make a change. We need to learn from what went wrong; we need to be resilient, bold, and social.

It's the best moment in time and the last to make the world a better place for us and generations to come.

In times of hate, dystopia and rapid change we have to focus on what has to be done to shape a desirable future, a future we all want to live and work in. A future economy and society that is able to deal with upcoming technological, social and cultural challenges.

48forward was founded in 2015 with the mission to create a series of events, shows and editorial formats about social, cultural and technological trends to explore their impact on different life and economic areas.

Our world is getting more and more complex. We need to connect the dots of innovation, technology and social trends to become future-proof.

48forward’s main-theme for 2021 will be all about resilience and love – and we are going to create various formats to learn more about what needs to be done to shape a desirable future.