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- 22nd European Trend Day
22nd European Trend Day
25 March 2026
Reclaiming Focus: How to Stand Out in a World of Constant Noise
Intelligent systems are increasingly intruding into our everyday lives. Most of the time they go unnoticed, but they have a huge impact. They determine what we see, influence what we think about and manipulate our decisions. In the midst of the flood of digital services, the countless number of feeds and an ever-increasing volume of AI-generated content, many people lose their focus. Companies themselves fuel the flood of information and at the same time suffer from its impact, as messages get lost in the noise. Furthermore, democratic societies are struggling for control over the channels in which opinions are formed today. Attention becomes a scarce resource and distraction a constant companion.
On the 22nd European Trend Day, we will present the skills that people need to distinguish truth from falsehood and separate clarity from manipulation. At the same time, we will demonstrate how companies can stand out from the flood of information using content relevant to their target groups and achieve an impact instead of generating noise.
- How do we create authentic experiences in a world of artificial content?
- How can communication and marketing teams transform themselves when they themselves are co-creators of the flood of information?
- How can companies and institutions retain their ability to act when platforms and algorithms determine their visibility and the decisions being made?
- How can we create digital trust that maintains social expectations and values?
The leading trend conference will address these questions. "Reclaiming focus" means quality, trust and relevance instead of greater output and screen time. Based on the latest scientific findings, best practices and trends from innovative start-ups, we reveal concrete approaches to recapture attention as a competitive advantage. We provide strategies for decision-makers from a wide range of sectors such as marketing, media, retail, innovation and politics.
The European Trend Day will be held in German and English (with simultaneous translation).
Hashtag: #etd26
Der Europäische Trendtag findet auf Deutsch und Englisch statt (mit Simultanübersetzung).
Referierende
Die Liste der Referent*innen wird laufend ergänzt.
Cory Doctorow is a renowned author, journalist and tech activist. In his latest book “Enshittification", he describes how internet platforms exploit their users, business customers, and ultimately themselves. The book articulates the diffuse sense that something has gone fundamentally wrong with the internet and shows how to refocus on openness and user control. Doctorow is also a Visiting Professor at Cornell University and a Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab.

Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim
Science Journalist, Author and Chemist
Germany
Website
Learn more in the trend update
Dr Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim is a PhD chemist and one of Germany’s most renowned science communicators. Through formats like Terra X and MaiThink X on YouTube and television, she conveys complex topics with scientific rigour, clarity and audience appeal. Her work illustrates how fact-based content can hold its ground in an increasingly polarised media landscape.

Nathalie Nahai
Author, Advisor and Expert on AI and Creativity
Spain
Website
Learn more in the trend update
Nathalie Nahai is an author, behavioural science advisor and artist empowering leaders to harness agency, creativity and human potential in the AI era. She explores how brands can build, sustain and convert trust into loyalty in an increasingly automated world. A best-selling author, she combines expertise in technology, psychology and marketing to help organisations foster authentic relationships in the age of AI.

Dennis Herhausen
Professor of Digital Marketing & Analytics and Head of the Marketing Department
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Netherlands
Website
Learn more in the trend update
Dennis Herhausen is Professor of Digital Marketing & Analytics and Head of the Marketing Department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. His research digital communication, customer journeys and experience, and digital capabilities has received several awards, and is published in leading academic and managerial-oriented outlets. He actively engages with companies on his research topics as an academic consultant and a lecturer within in-house seminars.

Credit: Arne Sattler
Gerd Gigerenzer
Psychologist, risk researcher and bestselling author
Germany
Website
Prof. Gerd Gigerenzer is one of Germany's most renowned psychologists and research how decisions are made under uncertainty and time restrictions, and what role intuition and risk competence play in this process. In addition to his research, he has trained managers, physicians, and judges in dealing with risks and decision making. He is the long-time director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and director of the Harding Center for Risk Literacy at the University of Potsdam. He has received numerous awards for his work.

Julia Ebner
Bestselling author, academic researcher and Co-Executive Director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue
UK
Website
Learn more in the trend update
Dr Julia Ebner is a world-leading expert on online radicalisation, conspiracy myths and threats to democracy and minority rights, as well as terrorism prevention. She has been involved in several undercover investigations into extremist groups and spent two years infiltrating far-right networks. Julia Ebner leads the Violent Extremism Lab at the University of Oxford and is Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD).

Heiko Hebig
Trend Advisor, ex-Meta Platforms
Germany
Heiko Hebig is a trend advisor and spent over a decade at Meta. He was responsible for building Instagram’s presence in the German-speaking region, earning him the nickname “Instagram’s Foreign Minister”. Prior to that, he led New Business and Development at Spiegel Verlag in Hamburg and drove innovation in research and development as Head of Digital Media at Hubert Burda Media.
Johanna Rüdiger is Coordinator Digital Talents & Content Creators at Deutsche Welle, where she is responsible for the organisation’s journalistic content creators and “newsfluencers”. As a content creator on TikTok and Instagram, she also shares English-language news updates about Germany aimed at a migrant community. Rüdiger studied political science, trained at the Berlin Journalism School and worked for various German print and TV outlets.
James Taylor-Foster is an award-winning curator of contemporary art, design, and digital culture, having held roles at ArkDes in Stockholm and at Nieuwe Instituut in Rotterdam. Through immersive projects, Taylor-Foster explores how technology, space, and sensory experience shape society, engaging audiences in unconventional ways. The internationally acclaimed WEIRD SENSATION FEELS GOOD, an exhibition exploring the culture and creativity of ASMR, established a new model for sensory, body-based experiences that blend the ‘real’ and the ‘virtual’.
David Schärer is a communications consultant, reputation strategist and co-founder of several agencies. He gained national recognition for leading the Swiss government’s Covid-19 information campaign on the agency side. In 2024, he founded DS Studio, focusing on reputation and crisis communications. In 2025, he co-founded DYLAN, a new agency for brand positioning in the entertainment sector. Schärer has received numerous awards, including several Effies, and was named “Advertiser of the Year 2021/22”.
Dr. Gian-Luca Savino is a Senior Researcher and Speaker at the Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute. As a computer scientist with a PhD, he analyzes global trends in technology and the environment, as well as their impact on business, the economy, and society.
Elsy Etim is a certified yoga teacher trained in dynamic yoga and vinyasa flow. Her teaching focuses on breath-led movement, mobility, functional training and mindful awareness. Recently she has been exploring “brain-changing-movements” that focus on the interconnectedness of brain function, movement and energy
Moderation
The versatile and popular presenter Tama James is known to audiences from various Swiss television and radio programmes. She currently presents the health programme ‘Puls’. Previously, she was present with her YouTube channel ‘Tama Gotcha!’, for which she was honoured with the prestigious European media award Civis in 2018. She began her television career in 2013 on the youth channel Joiz.
Programme
08.30 Uhr
Willkommens-Kaffee
09.00 Uhr
Welcome
Jennifer Somm, CEO a.i., Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Tama James, Moderator
Keynote
Cory Doctorow, Author, Tech Activist and Journalist
Enshittification: The Internet Is Terrible on Purpose (But It Doesn’t Have to Be)
Reclaiming choice in a locked-in system
Keynote
Heiko Hebig, Trend advisor, ex-Meta platforms
Platforms as Trend Engines: Visibility in the Age of AI
How companies can respond to new logics of visibility, relevance and reach
Keynote
Gian-Luca Savino, Senior Researcher, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
How to Stand Out: The New Grammar of Credibility
Why competence alone is no longer enough – and which signals create credibility today
10.40
Pause
11.10 Uhr
Keynote
Nathalie Nahai, Author, Advisor and Expert on AI and Creativity
The Human Thread: Designing Communication That Restores Human Agency
How psychological mechanisms shape trust, belonging and meaning amid noise and information fatigue
Keynote
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Science Journalist, Author and Chemist
Authenticity Against Noise: Reaching the Mind Through the Heart
Why facts alone do not get us heard and how to win the battle for attention
Panel
Communication Under Pressure: Speed vs Accuracy?
Between Algorithmic Pace and Societal Responsibility
A panel discussion with:
Mai Thi Nguyen-Kim, Science Journalist, Author and Chemist
Johanna Rüdiger, Head of Social Media Strategy, Deutsche Welle & Content Creator
David Schärer, Communications Consultant, Agency Founder and Reputation Strategist
12.30 Uhr
Lunch
14.00 Uhr
Re-Focus
Elsy Etim, Certified Yoga Instructor
Keynote
Dennis Herhausen, Professor of Digital Marketing & Analytics and Head of the Marketing Department at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Branding as a Signal: Strong Brands for Automated Attention
How companies build trust, relevance and recognition when AI filters attention and makes decisions
Keynote
Gerd Gigerenzer, Psychologist, Risk Researcher and Bestselling Author
How to Stay Smart in a Smart World: How Humans Can Stay in Control
Why less information leads to better decisions
15.20
Pause
16.00 Uhr
Keynote
Julia Ebner, Bestselling Author, Academic Researcher and Co-Executive Director at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue
When Extremes Go Mainstream: Attention, Amplification, and Democratic Fragility
What today’s information chaos enables – and whom it serves
Keynote
James Taylor-Foster, Curator & Cultural Leader
Haptic Revolution: The Senses We Still Trust
How culture shapes environments that help us navigate complexity and regain focus
17.00 Uhr
Networking Apéro
ASMR-Experience
Experience ASMR triggers with Gibi, curated by James Taylor Foster
ASMR stands for “Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response” – a term that describes a physical sensation: euphoria or deep calm, sometimes a tingling in the body. It is triggered by gentle auditory or visual stimuli (triggers) such as whispering, tapping, or slow movements, used by millions as a relaxation method, sleep aid, and form of grassroots creativity.
Datum
25. März 2026
Ort
GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Langhaldenstrasse 21
8803 Rüschlikon, Switzerland

Sprachen
Deutsch und Englisch mit Simultanübersetzung
Programmänderungen
Änderungen bleiben vorbehalten. Sollte ein Anlass nicht stattfinden, wird die Teilnahmegebühr zurückerstattet. Weitere Ansprüche können nicht geltend gemacht werden.
Abmeldung
Sollten Sie verhindert sein, melden Sie sich bitte schriftlich ab. Bis 30 Tage vor der Veranstaltung erhalten Sie die Teilnahmegebühr zurück. Danach und bis zu fünf vollen Arbeitstagen vor dem Anlass stellen wir 75% in Rechnung, bei späteren Absagen verrechnen wir den vollen Betrag. Ein/e Ersatzteilnehmer/in ist in jedem Fall willkommen.
Hotel reservation
In den folgenden Hotels haben wir für Sie Zimmerkontingente reserviert. Erwähnen Sie bei der Zimmerbuchung bitte den Code ETD2026.
Hotel Sedartis, Thalwil: info@sedartis.ch
Hotel Belvoir, Rüschlikon: info@hotel-belvoir.ch
Anreise
Ab Flughafen Zürich
Mit dem Taxi erreichen Sie das GDI und die Partner-Hotels in rund 45 Minuten zum Preis von etwa CHF 100, je nach Verkehrslage. Die S-Bahn bringt Sie schnell und bequem nach Zürich und zum Bahnhof Thalwil.
Ab Bahnhof Thalwil
Für Fahrten zwischen dem Bahnhof Thalwil / Hotel Sedartis und dem GDI steht ein kostenloser Shuttlebus zur Verfügung. Er wartet auf der Seeseite des Bahnhofs. Ein*e Mitarbeiter*in empfängt Sie vor Ort.
Bahnhof Thalwil – GDI: 08.00 – 08.45 Uhr, alle 15 Minuten
GDI – Bahnhof Thalwil: 17.00 – 18.45 Uhr, alle 15 Minuten
Das Hotel Belvoir befindet sich in Gehdistanz zum GDI.
Parkplätze
Das Parkdeck befindet sich fünf Gehminuten vom GDI entfernt an der Zürcherstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon. Ein kostenfreies Ausfahrtticket erhalten Sie im GDI.
Bild- und Videoaufnahmen
Bitte beachten Sie, dass während der Veranstaltung Bild- und Videoaufzeichnungen erfolgen, welche im Nachgang der Veranstaltung dauerhaft im Internet veröffentlicht werden können. Mit Ihrer Teilnahme an der Veranstaltung erklären Sie sich hiermit einverstanden.
Allgemeine Geschäftsbedingungen
Network partners

Media partners


Über den Europäischen Trendtag
Der Europäische Trendtag ist eine Konferenz zu Digitalisierung und Gesellschaft. Mit wechselndem Fokus-Thema werden technologische Innovationen und ihre Auswirkungen auf Wirtschaft und Gesellschaft diskutiert. Die Referierenden erkunden neue Möglichkeitsräume des heute noch Undenkbaren und Unvorstellbaren. Teilnehmende sind Führungskräfte aus Marketing, Handel und Beratung sowie Unternehmer, Akademiker und Journalisten von Qualitätsmedien.
Teilnehmende
Führungskräfte
Referierende

Funktionsstufe: 38 % der Teilnehmenden sind CEOs oder VRs.
50% sind Senior Management oder höher.

Functional level: 38% of participants are CEOs or board members. 50% are senior management or higher.
Impressionen









The European Trend Day was fascinating from start to finish — the program was diverse, and the high-caliber speakers were truly inspiring.
A fireworks display of fresh ideas — attending the Trend Day definitely broadened my horizons.
The Trend Day is always a highlight of the year for me and firmly marked in my calendar. I attend with great anticipation — and every time, I return with fresh impulses and new inspiration.
Once again, I’m returning home inspired and enriched with thoughts, ideas, and knowledge from a perfectly organized GDI event. The concentrated dose of insights, delivered by top-tier speakers, has impressed and inspired me once more in 2025.
Advisory Board
The conference benefits from the expertise of the GDI: Advisory Board:
Simonetta Carbonaro, Karin Frick, Dominique von Matt, Matthew Robin, Mariann Wenckheim.






