Press Release | Berlin, 06/22/2017

Bertelsmann Party 2017: Party Atmosphere and Joy of Innovation at Bertelsmann

• More than 800 noted guests from media, culture, politics, business and society expected at Unter den Linden 1 in Berlin
• Extraordinary ambiance, spectacular food creations, and a dance floor overlooking the rooftops of Berlin

An ambiance full of surprises, futuristic food creations and a party atmosphere on all floors: The Bertelsmann Party 2017 will offer insights into the innovative power and diversity of the international media group at Bertelsmann Unter den Linden 1, Berlin. Hosts Liz Mohn and Thomas Rabe expect more than 800 distinguished guests from the media as well as from culture, politics, business and society. The party with the motto “innovation and growth” is designed to deliver entertaining impressions of how Bertelsmann's eight divisions have evolved through digitalization and diversification.

Bertelsmann Chairman & CEO Thomas Rabe said: “Innovation and growth are driving forces at Bertelsmann. We are rethinking our businesses and media offerings, deliberately promoting a culture of innovation that breaks with old rules and habits. We wish to show our guests our delight in innovation and our willingness to embrace change at today’s Bertelsmann Party.”

The party’s motto is reflected in the program, decoration and food: RTL Group  will present its current highlights from the world of entertainment, including the hit series “Ninja Warriors," “The Young Pope,” “American Gods,” and “Winnetou.” Installations featuring cookbooks from the Penguin Random House  publishing world provide a perfect setting for startups from Berlin’s street-food scene to offer their fresh and unusual products. A live cooking station, videos, and wall-mounted installations showcase the success of recent Gruner + Jahr  initiatives such as the “Club of Cooks” foodtuber network, the new Schöner Wohnen online shop, and the “Chefkoch.de” community.

Arvato  , with mirrored pixel elements and illuminated icons, provides a suitable setting for a new colleague, L.I.S.A. – a humanoid robot that communicates using speech and gestures, and is currently being used as part of an in-house research project. L.I.S.A. will welcome the guests on the red carpet and then create an opportunity for human-machine encounters in the ambience created by Arvato. On the spectacular roof terrace everything will revolve around music, as BMG  visually showcases stars like the newly signed Fergie and rock legends Keith Richard and Mick Jagger. There will also be late-night dancing here, above the rooftops of Berlin. The Bertelsmann Printing Group's  high-end printing plants are represented by a 3D installation consisting of printing-press rolls, paper and a video projection. The Bertelsmann Education Group  provides insights into e-learning courses, and Bertelsmann Investments  highlights Bertelsmann's investment in innovative young companies in China, India and Brazil.

Liz Mohn and Thomas Rabe expect to welcome numerous celebrities to the Bertelsmann Party, including the actors Benno Fürmann, Caroline Peters, Sophia Thomalla, Jenny Elvers, Mariella Ahrens and Nik Xhelilaj (Winnetou), as well as many well-known faces from successful TV shows like “Let's Dance,” “Dance, Dance, Dance,” “Höhle der Löwen” and “Club der Roten Bänder,” such as Isabel Edvardsson and Chiara Ohoven, Cale Kalay, the judges Judith Williams and Frank Thelen, and actors Timur Bartels and Damian Hardung. Günther Jauch, Verona Pooth, Steffen Hallaschka, Jan Hofer, Frauke Ludowig, Birgit Schrowange, Annett Möller, Jenke von Wilmsdorff and Wolfram Kons are expected from the media world, as well as Reiner Calmund, Carmen and Robert Geiss, the choreographer Jorge González, and the celebrated drag queen Olivia Jones.

The musicians Yvonne Catterfeld, Graham Candy, The BossHoss, Culcha Candela, Alvaro Soler, Vicky Leandros, Albert Hammond and Heino are also expected to attend. Other notables who have confirmed their attendance include the photographer Jim Rakete, director Detlev Buck, and comedian Kaya Yanar, as well as the designers Brian Rennie and Thomas Rath, athletes Jens Lehmann, Axel Schulz, and Julius Brink, the models Franziska Knuppe and Nathalie Volk, entrepreneur Frank Otto, and the authors Thea Dorn, Eckart von Hirschhausen, and Harald Martenstein.

From politics, Bundestag President Norbert Lammert and Bundestag Vice President Claudia Roth, the Mayor of Berlin Michael Müller, as well as the federal ministers Wolfgang Schäuble (Finance), Katarina Barley (Family), Hermann Gröhe (Health), Christian Schmidt (Food), and Gerd Müller (Development) will be there, along with EU Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger, FDP leader Christian Lindner and his Schleswig-Holstein party colleague Wolfgang Kubicki, and Green Party politicians Katrin Göring-Eckardt and Renate Künast. The most prominent business representatives at the Bertelsmann Party include Carsten Kengeter (Deutsche Börse), Rolf Buch (Vonovia), Erich Sixt, Nicolas Berggruen, Mathias Döpfner (Axel Springer), and Bernd Leukert (SAP).

Bertelsmann will once again livestream impressions from the red carpet and the party. In addition, several popular YouTube talents who are represented by the RTL Group subsidiary Divimove will be there to talk with celebrity guests and report from the party for their followers

Social Media: Bertelsmann will report live from the Bertelsmann Party 2017 under the hashtags #BParty17  and #BertelsmannParty 
Facebook: Bertelsmann  and BertelsmannErleben 
Instagram: bertelsmann_erleben 
Twitter: @bertelsmann_DE 

About Bertelsmann
Bertelsmann is a media, services and education company that operates in about 50 countries around the world. It includes the broadcaster RTL Group, the trade book publisher Penguin Random House, the magazine publisher Gruner + Jahr, the music company BMG, the service provider Arvato, the Bertelsmann Printing Group, the Bertelsmann Education Group and Bertelsmann Investments, an international network of funds. The company has 116,000 employees and generated revenues of €17.0 billion in the 2016 financial year. Bertelsmann stands for creativity and entrepreneurship. This combination promotes first-class media content and innovative service solutions that inspire customers around the world.

For further que