How does a small pilot event with 50 guests turn into a festival that now attracts 12,000 people and is set to become the largest event at Münster’s exhibition halls in just a few years? We posed this question to Marcel Windau and Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein, the founders of data:unplugged.
Their answer is surprising: It wasn’t a meticulously planned growth strategy, but rather a combination of a clear vision, a consistent choice of themes, and a willingness to take risks before success was even foreseeable. In a conversation with Gerd and Jana Kulhavy, the two explain why name recognition alone isn’t enough to sustain a festival and what event organizers can learn from this growth path for their own events.
The Birth of a Movement
Jana Kulhavy: This is now your third time organizing data:unplugged. How did it all start?
Marcel Windau: There were two previous events under the name “Data Culture Night.” The first took place in Frankfurt in the spring of 2023 deliberately small, with about 50 people. We wanted to test whether the concept would work. After the pandemic, people were just eager to get together again.
Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein: At the same time, we had already interviewed around 150 high-profile guests on our podcast almost exclusively C-level executives. That’s how the idea came about: What would happen if we brought these top people together? The first official data:unplugged festival in March 2024 then drew nearly 1,000 people. And the timing was perfect: ChatGPT and other tools were suddenly everywhere, and interest in AI and data exploded.
Why the Format Works So Well
Jana Kulhavy: What makes data:unplugged so special?
Marcel Windau: Several things come together. First, we give the event a clear framework: Everyone is on a first-name basis we use “you” with everyone, from Uli Hoeneß to Markus Lanz. That rubs off on the guests. They say, “Finally, it’s not so stuffy!”
Second, the data sector used to be dry as dust. We’ve made it colorful, loud, and diverse. With us, you can even say that AI costs money and can be a bad investment. That’s honest.
Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein: Third, we think of the event as a medium, not just an event. We bring in celebrities, influencers, artists people from completely different worlds. That creates this unique mix.
In our experience, a pattern emerges here that we also observe in other successful formats: The consistent tone of an event whether informal or formal, approachable or distant often determines its impact more than the program itself.
The Power of Collaboration
Gerd Kulhavy: How important are partners for an event of this scale?
Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein: Absolutely essential. It doesn’t work without partners. We see that in Heilbronn Schwarz and Lidl are investing heavily in their location. That’s the model: working together to move forward, learning from each other, and creating opportunities.
Our partners get their own areas, their own programs. Volksbank had its own area that creates a sense of identity within the festival. That’s not advertising; that’s genuine collaboration.
The European Appeal
Gerd Kulhavy: You’re always talking about a “movement” for Germany and Europe. What drives you?
Marcel Windau: We’re regionally patriotic. Germany and Europe have fallen behind in the fields of data and AI that’s a fact. The U.S. and China are pulling ahead of us. We don’t want to be completely dependent. That’s why we’re fighting to bring German and European players to the forefront.
Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein: Here’s an example: SAP is our most important partner. It would be easier from a business perspective to focus on American companies like Salesforce or Microsoft. But we’ve fought hard to ensure that SAP is on board. That comes at an opportunity cost, but it’s important to us. If German companies don’t step up, they won’t be visible. We’re giving them a platform they just have to use it.
Numbers That Speak for Themselves
Jana Kulhavy: How’s the growth?
Marcel Windau: We’re one of the fastest-growing event formats in Europe. From 50 people in Frankfurt to over 150 at the second pilot event, and now nearly 12,000 participants this year. For next year, we’re aiming for 17,000 internally, we’re even targeting 20,000. This will make data:unplugged the largest event at the Münster exhibition halls. We’re planning to have over 250 partners and 350 speakers across 6 stages.
The Key to Success: Courage
Marcel Windau: To be honest, courage was the key. The courage to think big. The courage to book Markus Lanz or Wladimir Klitschko. The courage to say, “We can do this” without knowing if it would work.
If we’d said from the start, “First 200, then 500, then 800,” we wouldn’t have grown any further. We believed in our goals and went the extra mile.
Dr. Bernard Sonnenschein: We’re still a team of 20 people. That’s our advantage we’re agile, bold, and solution-oriented. We didn’t know it “wasn’t possible” and that’s why we did it. That’s our message to Germany and Europe: Step up! Otherwise, everyone will buy from the Americans.
Gerd Kulhavy: Congratulations on what you’ve achieved. There’s enough pain in Europe already and you’re the ones taking the risk. That’s admirable.
Vision for the Coming Years
Jana Kulhavy: Where do you see yourselves in 2031?
Marcel Windau: The festival will remain in Münster that’s our anchor. Growth will come through satellite events in other countries. We’re already in talks about hosting “Deep Dives” in London and other European cities.
In the long term, we’re building a platform business similar to OMR. An academy for continuing education, a marketplace for service providers, and recruiting solutions. The event is the core, but the digital extension throughout the year is the future.
Conclusion
The journey of data:unplugged shows that major events rarely result from perfect planning, but rather from a clear vision, a consistent choice of topics, and the willingness to take responsibility before success is measurable. We often observe that it is precisely these factors relevance, authenticity, and the courage to stay true to one’s own vision that determine a format’s impact and growth. That’s why, when categorizing events and selecting suitable speakers, we always pay close attention to the mindset and goals behind them.
