A review of a special meeting full of unity, reflection, and new beginnings
Last weekend, around 100 members and shareholders of Alliance gathered for the Annual General Meeting – this time in a very special location: on Friday evening in the Alter Wartesaal in Cologne, a place full of history, right by the Cathedral, and on Saturday at the Hilton Hotel. From Friday evening to Saturday afternoon, not only was a balance drawn, but the future was also collectively envisioned – carried by trust, exchange, and the firm will to master challenges together.
Friday evening began together at the Hilton Hotel, where employees and shareholders set out for a walk through Cologne’s city center. Upon arrival at the Alter Wartesaal, Jürgen Feldmann opened the evening with a welcome and exciting facts about the city of Cologne and the historical venue.
A duo of DJ and saxophonist provided musical ambiance, lending the evening an atmospheric setting. An entertaining acrobatic interlude rounded off the program.
This year, Alliance set the goal to speak very personally from within its own ranks and to involve many employees from the headquarters in the event. In this spirit, Saturday was entirely moderated by the Head of Human Resources and Internal Services, Ana Remis Sánchez. The opening speeches were given by the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Volker Peeck, and the Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Dr. Thorsten Brotz. Peeck emphasized gratitude for the achievements, while Brotz addressed the current challenges and the sense of community in connection with them under the guiding principle of responsibility and justice.
Afterwards, Marko Steinmeier presented the current figures, data, and facts before a special moment came: the farewell of Gerhard Fenchel from the Supervisory Board. At 65, he is passing on the baton. Jean Pierre Thill was unanimously elected as the new member of the Supervisory Board – a strong sign of trust and continuity. In his speech, Thill, like Wilfried Kösters, emphasized the “strong community” and the “solidarity community that defines Alliance”.
After a joint lunch break, Marc Mispelkamp gave a global review, impressively describing how challenging the circumstances were in the past year – both globally and regionally.
Another item on the agenda was the honoring of numerous long-serving employees – people who have shaped and contributed to Alliance over many years. Afterwards, the focus turned to the future: Various presentations showcased current topics from the association. Philipp Müller from Alliance’s marketing department presented current innovation projects such as the AI-supported assistant “Allice”, new features from the marketing portal, and the sales platform Aus-der-Ausstellung. Michael Sandring informed about the new multilingual intranet, EDI solutions, and the Alliance configurator. Subsequently, Dominik Meyer spoke about the Pure Natur brand and Iris Bülow about loft, casada system, and casada.
This year’s Annual General Meeting in Cologne was much more than a formal appointment – it was a powerful meeting for connection, support, and moving forward together. In economically challenging times, Alliance impressively demonstrates how strong an association can be when everyone stands together. The feedback that these presentations featured faces from within the association itself on stage was particularly positively highlighted – another expression of the lived sense of community.
Image source: Alliance Verband