Asia-Pacific Week in Berlin
Connecting countries and cultures from May 13th to the 19th
May 09th, 2019
Asia-Pacific Week will be held in Berlin from the 13th to the 19th May 2019. The event will focus on innovation around startups and their ecosystems, which is the global megatrend of the 21st century. Many Asian Embassies are also present at the event.
The exchange between Europe and the Asia-Pacific region has been rapidly growing in the beginning of the 21st century. The contact between cultures is of great importance as the markets are emerging and science and research are being internationalized. The Asia-Pacific Week in Berlin (APW) was initiated by the Mayor of Berlin in 1997 and it is now an international trademark of a Europe-wide unique platform for interdisciplinary, the European-Asian dialogue with people from various fields.
The APW distinguishes themselves from other business conferences about Asia by functioning as an umbrella brand, integrating economic, cultural, scientific, political, and social events. The APW also strengthens Berlin’s sister city arrangements with Beijing, Jakarta, and Tokyo. In 2015 the APW started to be an annual event.
This year the APW will focus on innovation around startups and their ecosystems. In an exchange between startups, industry and SMEs, the most important trends of the 4th Industrial Revolution will be discussed to develop joint projects and partnerships. The Mayor of Berlin, Ramona Pop, will open the APW together with Joe Kaeser, who is the new chairman of Asia-Pacific Committee of German Business (APA), Eric Schweitzer who is the President of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), and the Senior Vice President, Head of SAP Labs Network & Fast Growth Market Strategy Group Clas Neumann.
The APW has a strong emphasis on innovation, which brings us smart cities, startups and digitalization, but it also affects and permeates other aspects of life, such as the society, economics, politics and last but not least culture. While this brings us some challenges, it also brings great opportunities. Especially important is the dialogue between Europe and Asia and the APW’s goal is to develop collaborative projects and partnerships.
In addition to the conferences, Berlin cultural institutions complement and enrich the APW program by presenting specific aspects of the Asia-Pacific region in terms of culture and society. Organizers include museums, galleries, Asian cultural centers in Berlin, foundations, associations and science and education institutions.
Many embassies are also present on 15th May, which is the Embassy Day. For example, the embassies of Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar will organize seminars and panel discussions. The Embassy of Pakistan is holding a Seminar “State of Digital Transformation and innovation in Pakistan”.
