Community building plays a central role in today's event industry. Live communication has long since gone beyond the mere dissemination of information - it offers the opportunity to create lasting connections that have an impact far beyond the event itself. The joint initiative ‘neext Future Summit’ by Drees & Sommer and Holtmann+ addresses precisely this issue and establishes a forward-looking platform that promotes interdisciplinary dialogue and international networking. Through year-round dialogue in various event formats, ‘neext’ creates a basis for the long-term development of communities that transcend both industry and national borders.

Together into the future: the cooperation between Holtmann+ and Drees & Sommer

By developing the ‘neext’ umbrella brand with the support of our experts from Holtmann+, Drees & Sommer has created an innovative format that is rethinking the construction and property industry. The ‘neext Future Summit’, the ‘neext Themen Dialog’ and the ‘neext European Talk’ offer continuous opportunities for exchange, networking and the development of practical solutions. As the lead agency, Holtmann+ was largely responsible for the conception and realisation.

‘The collaboration with Holtmann+ was characterised by mutual trust and a high level of professionalism right from the start. Their expertise in event implementation and their ability to realise complex projects with vision have made neext a successful format. They are an indispensable partner in the realisation of our vision' , explains Götz Schönfeld, Head of neext - powered by Drees & Sommer.

Sustainable community building as the key to success

Targeted community building is at the centre of ‘neext’. Formats such as the ‘neext Topic Dialogue’ or the ‘neext European Talk’ promote exchange between experts from different industries and countries. The focus is on topics such as energy, mobility and construction. Drees & Sommer and we at Holtmann+ are focussing on interactive formats and practice-oriented workshops that support the development of sustainable networks.

‘We attached great importance to developing formats that facilitate genuine dialogue and in-depth exchange. Our task was to create not just an event, but a platform on which the participants could network in the long term and work together on solutions’, says Torben Lenz, Project Manager of the Drees & Sommer initiative at Holtmann+.

neext: An international platform for future topics

With the ‘neext European Talk’ and the ‘neext Future Summit’, the platform has taken on an international dimension. Experts and decision-makers from all over Europe come together to discuss the pressing challenges of the future. Competition formats and topic-specific hubs create a dynamic atmosphere in which ideas and innovations are actively promoted.

‘For us, community building means establishing cross-national and cross-industry networks that not only prove themselves in theory, but also in practice. With neext, we want to create a framework in which exactly that is possible: the exchange of expertise and the development of joint solutions’, emphasises Ann-Katrin Enz, Project Manager of the neext Future Summit at Drees & Sommer.

Looking to the future: neext as a model for future formats

For us at Holtmann+, the successful implementation of neext opens up new perspectives for the event industry. The innovative format shows how targeted networking and interactive community building can change the way events are designed and organised. 

‘neext has shown us the potential of formats that aim to build sustainable communities. We see this as a great opportunity to further expand community building as a central element in live communication and to break new ground in order to promote dialogue across industry and national borders', explains Melissa Schönfeld, Concept & Strategy Manager at Holtmann+.

With the ‘neext’ platform, Drees & Sommer and our experts at Holtmann+ have not only created an innovative event format, but also a model for the future that will have a lasting impact on the construction and property industry.

Be part of neext. Be part of tomorrow. Together, with us.