COSMOCON becomes a marketplace of ideas

Berlin is always worth a visit - that’s not just true for tourists, but for the employees of the COSMO CONSULT Group, as well: Around 750 COSMOnauts from all over the world travelled to the German capital for this year's COSMOCON to share experiences, learn about innovations and celebrate together in the Verti Music Hall near Berlin’s famous East Side Gallery. It was a day when almost everything revolved around new ideas for the future.

In a way, the annual conference COSMOCON 2019 reflects the rapid development of the COSMO CONSULT group. The software and consulting company has long been one of the leaders in the field of digital transformation, setting the pace for small, medium-sized and large companies. In areas such as data science, the internet of things, cloud & IT services and modern workplace technologies, the company has recently been able to greatly expand its own capabilities and to develop new products and services. Today, COSMO CONSULT has more than 1,200 experts for digital transformation at 42 locations in 14 countries around the world. Romania and Hungary were the most recent additions. Only when the groups from each country stood up individually during the keynote speech at the annual conference, did many participants realize how international the company now is.

One thing is clear: none of this would have been possible without the ideas and dedication of the employees. Therefore it was natural to let them take the stage at the annual conference, said Uwe Bergmann, CEO of the COSMO CONSULT Group: "Organizations per se are not creative and they are not innovative. It is the people who make the difference. Their ideas are the basis of our success. We wanted to put more emphasis on these ties at COSMOCON this year." The event focused on the "Innovation Challenge" - an in-house innovation competition that has large cash prizes.

The 14 teams that were successful in the pre-selection process were given the opportunity to present their projects in individual lectures, at exhibition stands and in workshops. Potential products were not the only things that could be considered innovative. Consideration was also given to services and ideas that move COSMO CONSULT forward in other ways. The best example of this is the "COSMO goes Green" initiative, which is dedicated to sustainable, ecological business operations. A striking number of teams focused on knowledge transfer in an increasingly complex world. The winner was chosen by the COSMOCON participants - conveniently via an app as befits an IT company. The three first place winners were to be chosen at the COSMO party that evening.

The growing interest in innovation and new ideas can also be seen in the company’s balance sheet, says Klaus Aschauer, Director of the COSMO CONSULT Group: "The interesting thing is internal turnover with products and services. In this area the volume has almost tripled over the past two years. Our different locations are thus cooperating ever more closely to tackle complex project requirements - both nationally and internationally." This is another reason why COSMOCON is of central importance as a platform for networking and for sharing information and experience within the company.

The highlight of the COSMO party that evening was the award ceremony for the Innovation Challenge, where the project "COSMO College" took the top spot. The COSMO College, which for the most part has already been implemented, makes it easier for customers and employees to find and book suitable training of all kinds at all levels. The second and third place projects came very close to winning: "Business Central 2 go", a preconfigured ERP solution based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, and "Business Intelligence and Augmented Reality Warehouse Management" - where warehouse employees wearing smart glasses are guided to the right locations via the shortest possible routes with the help of artificial intelligence.

"The COSMOCON 2019 was an impressive fireworks display of new ideas, supported by many creative people who are interested, open and passionate in their work to shape and develop our company. We will follow up on many of the ideas and thus be in a position to offer our customers  innovative new services and platforms," says Gerrit Schiller, Director of the COSMO CONSULT Group. In its new format, the annual conference has immediately established itself as possibly the most important driver of the company's culture of innovation.