Greetings from Prime Minister of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil, Patron of the 15th Annual 2b AHEAD Future Congress 2016

Dear Readers,

In 2016, the 2b AHEAD ThinkTank Future Congress will be held for the 15th time already. The organizer has again succeeded in placing an important current topic at the focal point of the congress. Under the motto "Fast Forward 2026: Think Faster - Decide Faster - Act Faster," center stage at the two-day event will be held by the question of the speed of innovation and decision making in the future.

The congress examines the question of how the business models for the next ten years will develop in light of ever-shrinking innovation cycles. Three hundred representatives from business, research, politics, culture, and the church will give their expert predictions and assessments at the conference, and will sketch the prospects, opportunities, and risks for the future of business.

The speed of innovations and their implementation are increasingly viewed as the key determining factor for success on the market. New technologies, a more rapid change in products, and changed organizational structures are all possible strategies for accelerating this velocity. First, however, careful analysis is needed before it can be determined whether this primacy of agility is, in fact, the future-proof route into the future. The 2b AHEAD ThinkTank Future Congress is an outstanding forum for undertaking precisely this analysis using the expertise of leaders from a wide variety of industries.

With this in mind, I wish you innovative, future-oriented discussions, and a constructive time at the 15th Annual Future Congress in Wolfsburg.

Hannover, December 2015