Review of our Customer Day 2022

On 7 July, the time had come again and we were able to invite to the annual customer day event in Frankfurt am Main. Only small rain showers clouded our successful and well-attended event.

The Customer Day kicked off the day before, on 6 July, with an evening programme for those arriving and overnight guests. Together we visited Klassikstadt in Frankfurt and took part in an exciting guided tour that took all those interested into the world of classic cars. From famous car models such as the “strawberry basket” to an Aston Martin racing car and the Ferrari 308 GTS, the Magnum car, a huge range was on offer that not only automobile fans were able to enjoy. Afterwards, the evening refreshments were served in the “Werkskantine” restaurant, which is located directly on the Klassikstadt grounds. The participants were able to admire one or two classic cars while dining together before returning to the event hotel to round off the evening.

The actual customer day got off to a busier start, as the people who had already arrived the day before were joined by many more guests. Our new CEO, Michael Marcks, welcomed the guests at 9:30 a.m. on the dot. With his speech about the world of publishing and world events – under pressure – he touched an important nerve that drives the industry: Freedom and a free, independent press. Although alfa Media is not a press company, journalism and the press are nevertheless a cornerstone of our system and the corresponding independence: Reporting that differentiates and enlightens, without at the same time promoting so much uncertainty that we get lost in conspiracy theories. It is important to be able to rely on the news we read, hear or see in order to be able to find a counterweight between fake news, propaganda or emotionally driven content that supports us in forming our own opinion in the first place. We would like to go one step further and research new possibilities that help to make people aware of the importance of the press again. Whether through active educational work or by developing new features in the alfa modules. Or through cooperation with strong partners who simplify the work through integration and cooperation to create free space in your resources.

Following him was Henriette Frädrich, keynote speaker and founder, who spoke on the topic “Los! Motivier mich! Bock auf Neu. Bock auf Veränderung. Bock auf Innovation.” (“Go! Motivate me! I’m ready for something new. A thirst for change. A thirst for innovation.”) continued the morning of the event in a thematically appropriate way. Using star chef Grant Achatz as an example, she presented “lessons” from one of the best chefs in the world, including inspiration, creativity, rulebreaking, confidence, curiosity, fun and teamwork. “Share yourself and show yourself, that’s the only way to find a solution – break down the problem, find new ways” is advice that should certainly find universal implementation. After all, creativity is not a talent either, but the result of hard work and incessant learning.

This was followed by the keynote speech by alfa Media, which – like the customer day itself – had the motto better together. In an honest and vivid way, Michael Marcks explained why it is a sensible and reliable method for alfa Media to create partners and enter into partnerships – combining know-how and efficiency. This is what alfa Media has dared to do in the form of the cooperation named linkup: alfa Media, Sternwald and fidion have entered into this cooperation in order to combine their strengths and support qualitative journalism with good products for their customers, which offers real added value to all.

In the customer case lecture Tobias Dambacher, online boss of the Schwäbische Post and Gmünder Tagespost by SDZ. Druck und Medien could be acquired. Although the company was recently the victim of a cyber attack, Mr. Dambacher was able to present the work with the EditorialOrganiser at Schwäbische Post and Gmünder Tagespost thanks to a production environment that was set up by alfa in a very short time. Both editorial offices work according to the online-first method with channel-independent planning at article level; content management is also fully integrated in EditorialOrganiser. The central e-mail inbox has also been moved from Outlook to EditorialOrganiser, so that all e-mails are sifted, distributed, planned into topics and converted into appointments there. An exciting insight into editorial work!

Other speakers who work with alfa Media also had the opportunity to introduce themselves in sessions at the Customer Day. One of them was Carsten Kaiser, Founder and CEO of Bineos, whose technology is an indispensable component for analysing and addressing target groups.  In future, these functionalities will also be integrated into the overall solution from EditorialOrganiser and fidion. Sternwald, represented by Oliver Brandt, Senior Sales Manager, and Kevin Kallen, Sales Manager, presented not only their company but also their digital asset management tool huGO+, which among other things can be made available to readers as an archive and research system.

But alfa Media’s products and developments were not neglected at the Customer Day. The new alfa Managed Service was presented by Director IT Services Erik Rieger, and the advantages of having a solution in alfa’s own cloud environment were explained. Oliver Andrich, Chief Technical Officer, and Stefan Bethge, Product Manager ContentLine, not only expressed their thanks for the feedback from customers, but also showed everything that is new in EditorialOrganiser and where it is headed. Many innovations, especially regarding the block editor and the redesign, brought deep insights into the programme. The integration with fidion and its CMS system was also demonstrated. The last presentation from alfa was about AdSuite Market and HubSpot – a fantastic combination, which was presented by Stefan Plaß, Product Manager BusinessLine. True to its motto better together, alfa Media is a Platinum Integration Partner of HubSpot, with certified employees and the first successfully implemented projects. Both programmes – AdSuite and HubSpot – offer a lot of potential for your CRM system and your campaigns.

Many interesting conversations were held, one or the other ball was shot at the soccer goal wall during the lunch break and, of course, a lot of know-how was presented. Despite the continued high incidences, our Customer Day 2022 could be celebrated and was a complete success. A face-to-face meeting is and remains very refreshing and has set many new impulses and contacts on their way.