Digital Life Design

Digital Life Design (DLD) is a global conference network, organized by the Munich based DLD Media, a company of Burda Digital. DLD acts as a platform for an exchange of future visions and experiences, driven by the mission to create a network of innovation, digital prospects, science and culture.

In 2005, Stephanie Czerny and Marcel Reichart founded DLD as an annual conference scheme. Main purpose is to connect business, creative and social leaders, opinion formers and investors for crossover conversation and inspiration. Since its first gathering, DLD hosted events in New York, Beijing, San Francisco, London, Moscow, New Delhi, Rio de Janeiro, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv and Munich.(e.g. DLD Global Conference)^[1]

Moreover, DLD initiated a female themed conference DLDwomen (see "Events" below). The DLD Conference is referred to by the Economist as one of Europe`s leading conferences on innovation.^[2][3]

Chaired by Hubert Burda and Yossi Vardi the DLD conference held in Munich hosts over 800 creative international leaders, disruptors and thinkers from digital and consumer markets, media, technology, design, science, politics, social, arts and culture from around the globe. The three-day event always takes place in late January before the WEF. At this time, DLD also offers live streaming and blogging. Speakers present their ideas in thematically assembled panels or in key speeches. Alongside DLD guests, speakers shed light on the developments in our markets, society and lifestyles through central innovation paradigms.

Background

Since 2005 the conference is held in Munich, Germany, where the DLD headquarters are located. Each year the slogan of the conference accordingly changes to the dominant theme.

The conference is an invitation-only event. DLD provides a limited number of free conference tickets for creative students, scientists and NGOs. The 2014 conference took place in Munich on 19–21 January.

Previous conference speakers have included Mark Zuckerberg, Arianna Huffington, and Viviane Reding.

Events

DLDwomen (Conference)

The first DLDwomen Conference in 2010 launched under the slogan The Female Decade, has become an annual outlet conference, also held in Munich, Germany. It is chaired by Maria Furtwängler and is focusing on the gender debate.

DLDwomen is a platform for discussions, case studies and lectures and brings together a group of over 100 international high profile speakers and more than 800 opinion-forming participants. They are both women and men from business, media, technology, society, health, education, politics, and science.

DLD Global (Conference)

DLD Global is an irregular series of events devoted to expand the network throughout the world. In 2011 these special gatherings took place in Beijing, China; in Palo Alto, United States of America and São Paulo, Brazil.

DLD Tel Aviv (Summit/Festival)

The summit took place the very first time on 1–3 November 2011 as part of the Tel Aviv Festival. It targets to bring together Israel’s digital media representatives and internationally renowned industry figures.

Aenne Burda Award

Since 2006 the prize, inspired by the achievements and life of Aenne Burda, has been awarded at the DLD Conference. The prize aims to inspire women to realize their dreams.

Internal publications

DLD is widely distributed via its own website (dld-conference.com), blog (dld.tumblr.com) and video network (youtube.com/dldconference).

DLD Media (2010): "Map Your Future – The DLD10 Book" Munich: DLD Media GmbH

DLD Media (2010): "The Female Decade" Munich: DLD Media GmbH

DLD Media (2011): "Update Your Reality – The DLD11 Book" Munich: DLD Media GmbH

DLD Media (2011): "Innovation and Authenticity" Munich: DLD Media GmbH

Media coverage

DLD is covered and attended every year by over 180 international journalists from opinion forming media such as New York Times, IHT, Economist, Guardian, Fast Company, Fortune, Financial Times, FAZ, FOCUS, Spiegel, CNBC, Wallstreet Journal, Thomson Reuters, Getty, Deutsche Welle, AllThingsD, HuffingtonPost or TechCrunch.

References