Three refreshing impulse showers, exciting discussions with people from various networks and a location that amazed with unexpected features at every turn: the 1st PartnerDialog 2024 of the Convention Bureau Rhein-Neckar in the Alte Schildkrötfabrik offered inspiration in XXL format.



In2019, the PartnerDialog celebrated a moving premiere across all four floors of  Heidelberg's Tankturm.  Since then, the unconventional information and networking format has built up an excellent reputation. What makes it so successful? "We focus on communication between the participants, movement during the event and opening up the network," explains Silke Fontius, consultant at the Rhine-Neckar Convention Bureau.



And the latter in particular has now been taken to a whole new level. This isbecause more different groups took part in the 1st PartnerDialog 2024 than ever before - including the  Rhine-Neckar Chamber of Industry and Commerce  with the  Cultural and Creative Industries Network , the network for recruiting skilled workers in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region and a team from the  KurpfalzErleben app. 



Old turtle factory fascinates with stories



So it's no wonder that the mix of guests was all the more diverse and the overall result all the more inspiring. For  Claire Common , who designs inclusive fashion, the evening was a real benefit: "We met people who might not otherwise have crossed paths. You got out of your usual bubble". The  Old Turtle Factory , which is fascinating on many levels, played an important role in this . In the past, it employed up to 6,000 people with the production of the famous turtle dolls and later table tennis balls. Today, it is a charismatic industrial location, which initiated many conversations at the PartnerDialog thanks to its wealth of stories.

At Kanappees, amusing anecdotes about the Alte Schildkrötfabrik and the subsequent owner, who used the building as a home and private art museum worth millions, as well as photographs by Horst Hamann from Mannheim, a stone circle artwork by Sir Richard Long and a dress art installation by Christian Boltanski provided emotional moments that are likely to remain in the memory.



Three impulse showers on exciting topics

The same applied to the variety of topics, which took the form of a refreshing impulse shower. Philipp Meier, site manager of  supaevent  in Wiesloch, showed how the company creates sophisticated experiences and large-scale events for its customers across Europe thanks to its huge logistics park and pool of employees .



Things continued at a fast pace with the presentation of the  Connect MRN Community , which was launched by Innoloft on behalf of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region. This IT platform, which is the basis for the Convention Bureau Rhine-Neckar 's website , offers all interested parties many opportunities to connect with other experts from the region. "It's like a LinkedIn network at regional level," says Fontius. The aim is to tap into a wealth of networking potential in the delta between the Rhine and Neckar rivers.



The next topic is likely to be on the minds of pretty much every company in the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region: the shortage of skilled workers. This makes a fresh perspective from companies that have ventured abroad and recruited skilled workers there all the more helpful. Positive examples of this came from  Berggasthof Königstuhl  and  m:con - mannheim:congress GmbH . The presentations by Lisa Sieckmeyer and Bogdan Militaru from the Welcome Center Rhein-Neckar showed that the path to skilled workers from abroad does not always have to be rocky . Animportant keyword here is  "accelerated procedure":  Employers can start a turbo procedure with the authorization of the skilled worker at the foreigners authority, which significantly shortens the visa issuing process. Lisa Beck from the  Goethe-Institut Mannheim,  which offers around 900 free events for third-country nationals throughout Germany every year,explained the importance of pre-integration .



By the way: If you as a venue or service provider are keen to become a member of the Convention Bureau Rhine-Neckar at , please call us on +49 621 10708 364 or write to us .