Perfect weather and a picture-perfect alpine setting, magnificent locations at 1,700 meters altitude, getting to know each other on the cable car – the conditions alone were unique when the Brand Club hosted its first Brand Forum in Brand, Vorarlberg. The icing on the cake of a highly successful premiere was four excellent speakers and an audience that, in dialogue with the thought leaders, found new inspiration and ideas far removed from the mainstream and day-to-day business. The brand as a holistic business perspective was the common thread running through the two days of the event. "Host" Michael Casagranda and his Brand Club board colleagues Charlotte Hager, Bastian Schneider, Christian Prill, and Oliver Schmitt were pleased with the outcome and promised a repeat performance next year. The date is already set. June 23/24, 2023
It started Reza Razavi, who described the current system transformation as "the greatest in history." "Digitalization, globalization, individualization, and increasing complexity are the driving forces behind it," said the former BMW manager, who is now a well-known consultant and author. Razavi emphatically argued that "we must not leave change to chance." This requires an active process of discovery and experimentation with an open outcome—driven by a strong shared purpose, new perspectives and narratives, and positive visions for the future. "This can motivate people to participate passionately and responsibly. This can ignite a yearning for change."„
Matthias Moosbrugger The Rhomberg Group's journey from a traditional construction company to a creator of living spaces was impressively outlined. Among other projects, Austria's first wooden high-rise was built in a future-oriented environment. "Our approach is to set trends, not follow them. We achieve this through the visionary leadership of our owner, but above all through trust and transparency."„
Rhomberg demands a high degree of personal responsibility and initiative from its employees. "They are allowed to try things out, even at the risk of them not working. This is the only way we can move forward, the only way we can live up to our role as pioneers, and the only way we can continuously develop and enhance our brand." With curiosity and creativity, everyone can realize their potential and contribute to addressing the major challenges of our time.
Also Michael van Droffelaar He addressed the importance of the people behind the brand. The founder of wavemusic, who brought the American smooth jazz scene to Europe from Hollywood, now combines German engineering with design expertise in high-quality audio systems from sonoro. "At sonoro, nothing is tacked on as an afterthought," van Droffelaar emphasized. He cited the clarity of the positioning and the quality of the products as guarantees of this.
„Sonoro also thrives on an entrepreneurial personality and vision. In our case, that’s the founder, Marcell Faller. There’s so much intrinsic purpose and wealth of ideas there that I don’t need a purpose campaign.“ Faller’s ambition, and that of everyone on the team, is to make a sustainable contribution to a happy, harmonious life – with intuitive usability, excellent build quality, and outstanding sound quality in the products. „The art lies in consistently focusing this entrepreneurial energy and mission and communicating it precisely to the target audience.“
Stefan Sallandt As CEO and brand strategist of burgbad, he is further developing the business of the bathroom furniture specialist for the ECZACIBASI Holding. He emphasized that the strength of a brand lies in its ability to evolve without losing or denying its core values. The bathroom has become a lifestyle space over the past 20 years. Therefore, burgbad not only manufactures high-quality products but also gives its customers the freedom to design their own individually beautiful bathroom. "To achieve this, we have combined traditional manufacturing with Industry 4.0. Our product range allows for over 30 million potential combinations! This would not be possible without digitized production and order management."„
Sallandt observes the opposite of inertia in many, especially smaller, traditional companies: "They build their long-term existence on constant change. Burgbad is one such company. It has a strong culture of innovation and has always evolved in line with customer needs and the market." A crucial success factor has been agility. "That is, the leadership's will to remain competitive through innovation and adaptation. Plus the employees' trust in joining them on this path."„
