Press Release
These are the programme highlights of the Smart Country Convention 2025
• More than 900 sessions and 70 workshops
• 650 speakers, including Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger, Andrea Nahles, Daniela Gerd tom Markotten and Sebastian Steinhäuser
• #SCCON25 from 30 September to 2 October 2025 at the Berlin Exhibition Grounds
Chatbots instead of fax machines, sensors for the city of tomorrow – Germany must pick up speed when it comes to digitalisation. The Smart Country Convention in Berlin from 30 September to 2 October 2025 will showcase the solutions that are already possible today. In three exhibition halls and on a total of seven stages, the Smart Country Convention 2025 will bring together thought leaders and leading figures from politics, administration, research and business. Around 650 speakers will focus on the topics of digital administration, smart cities and smart regions.
Announced speakers include:
• Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister of Digital and Public Service
• Verena Hubertz, Federal Minister of Housing, Urban Development and Construction
• Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
• Dörte Schall, Minister of Labour, Social Affairs, Transformation and Digitalisation of the State of Rhineland-Palatinate
• Dr Benjamin Grimm, Minister of Justice and Digitalisation of the State of Brandenburg
• Andrea Nahles, Chair of the Executive Board, Federal Employment Agency
• Dr André Göbel, President, FITKO
• Agnes Heftberger, Chair of the Management Board, Microsoft Deutschland GmbH
• Daniela Gerd tom Markotten, Member of the Executive Board for Digitalisation & Technology, Deutsche Bahn AG
• Sebastian Steinhäuser, Member of the Executive Board, COO, SAP SE
Digital diversity in the public sector
This year's stage programme offers high-calibre keynotes and panel discussions on the topics of administrative digitalisation, artificial intelligence, cyber security, smart infrastructures and mobility. In addition, participants can expect more than 70 free workshops, including six exclusive training courses offered by the Bitkom Academy.
A selection of highlights from the programme illustrates the digital diversity in the public sector:
Tuesday, 30 September 2025
• 2:45 p.m., PLAZA Stage – Smart City Index Awards, with representatives from the winning cities of the Bitkom Smart City Index 2025.
• 4:00 p.m., Workshop Area – Urban data platforms in reality check: What really helps local authorities, with the Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction
• 4:45 p.m., Workshop Area – Register modernisation in practice: Achievements and an outlook, with the Federal Ministry of Digital and Public Administration
Wednesday, 1 October 2025
• 10:00 a.m., PLAZA Stage – Smart City as a Government Task: Joint Responsibility for the Federal Government, States and Municipalities, with Sabine Poschmann (BMWSB), Lars Rohwer (MdB), Sabine Meigel (German Association of Cities).
• 3:45 p.m., PLAZA Stage – Cloud & AI in administration, with Louisa Solonar-Unterasinger (State of Hesse), Alfred Kranstedt (ITZBund), Maximilian Wehage (BMDS), Nikolaus Hagl (SAP Germany).
• 3:00 p.m., ARENA Stage – Federal-state panel, with Dörte Schall (RLP), Dr Benjamin Grimm (BB), Dirk Schrödter (SH), Prof. Dr Luise Hölscher (BMDSt).
• 5:00 p.m., PLAZA Stage – Smart Country Startup Awards & Startup Award Night 2025 with innovative startups from the smart city and GovTech landscape.
Thursday, 2 October 2025
• 10:00 a.m., Workshop Area – Just get started: The first phase of IPv6 migration as a trial run with a model authority, with the Federal Ministry of Digital and Public Service Modernisation
• 11:15 a.m., PLAZA Stage – Digital default for local authorities: Digital public services as a building block of smart cities and regions, with Renate Mitterhuber (BMWSB), Bernd Schlömer (Saxony-Anhalt), Alexander Handschuh (DStGB), Christiane Lehmann (Bitkom).
• 1:30 p.m., PLAZA Stage – Digital policy governance in the federal government, with Thomas Jarzombek, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Digital and Public Service.
The entire programme for the Smart Country Convention is continuously updated and supplemented and can be found here on the website.
From networking meetings to international matchmaking
In addition to the stage and workshop programme of the Smart Country Convention 2025, participants can expect numerous opportunities for exchange and networking.
The Enterprise Europe Network's International Matchmaking brings together companies, public authorities and research institutions from across Europe to establish valuable contacts for joint business and innovation projects. Further information and the link to register can be found here on the website.
The Mayors' Networking Meeting brings together the municipal level and enables practical exchange on current digital topics.
On Career Day on the third day of the event, job seekers and companies have the opportunity to present themselves and get to know each other in a variety of formats.
Free event tickets are available in the Smart Country Convention ticket shop.
Journalists can now also register for the Smart Country Convention on the website.
About Smart Country Convention
The Smart Country Convention is the leading event for the digital state and public services. With over 18,000 participants, SCCON is the meeting place for everyone involved in the digitalisation of the public sector. The combination of congress, workshops, expo and networking is aimed at employees from administration, politics, the digital economy, associations and science. SCCON is organised by Bitkom e.V. and Messe Berlin.
You can also find this press release on the Internet: www.smartcountry.berlin
Press photos of the Smart Country Convention in printable quality can be downloaded here. Videos about the event and the topics of the Smart Country Convention can be found here.