New Year's Reception for the fifth time at Frankfurt's Museum Angewandte Kunst

Last Tuesday, 29 January 2019, the New Year's Reception of the law firm BEITEN BURKHARDT took place in Frankfurt's museum of applied arts, the so-called Museum Angewandte Kunst. Around 270 guests accepted the invitation to celebrate the new Year with a reception, organised for the fifth time already at the popular Frankfurt location.

Dr Detlef Koch welcomed all participants to the new year's reception and gave a brief review of the eventful year 2018. For instance, at the end of the year 2018 new elections were held at BEITEN BURKHARDT where Frank Obermann after a term of fourteen years surrendered his office of Managing Partner of the law firm to Philipp Cotta, who also attended the event. Looking back to two years in the 'new' VISTA building revealed the sustained growth of the law firm's Frankfurt office.

Dr Koch, Head of the Frankfurt office was followed by Matthias Wagner K, Director of the Museum Angewandte Kunst, who then took the word. Wagner K introduced the attendees to the exhibition "Modernism in Frankfurt – 1919–1933" which was opened on 19 January. In the 1920s, Frankfurt am Main became a centre of modern design. On the way to a new metropolitan culture, the city’s designers developed new forms for all areas of life. According to Wagner K, the reconstructed trade fair centre, the city’s building department and the Frankfurt art school were among the key protagonists. The exhibition scheduled to run until 14 April 2019 is also groundbreaking as it reflects the question of whether fundamental societal changes should also involve aesthetic transformation.

Finally, Axel Hellmann, management board member of Eintracht Frankfurt Fußball AG, took the word. In his speech, Hellmann outlined the way how the football team Eintracht Frankfurt intended to become a pioneer of digital thinking and, according to Hellmann, at the same time planned to become the "most digital football team of the German premier league". To transform Frankfurt into a city of "poets, thinkers and digital heroes" was a common task. The executive declared that BEITEN BURKHARDT had recognised the signs of the times early on. The law firm was leading in rendering IT and media advice and brought Dr Andreas Lober on board, a proven expert of the games industry. According to Hellmann, Eintracht Frankfurt is planning an investment of EUR 30 million in the digital infrastructure. To this end, the football team was energetically backed by important regional partners such as Mainova (regional utilities), RMV (regional public transport) and Lotto Hessen (state lottery) facilitating the new platform's roll-out in 2020. Axel Hellmann then added that "digital communication strengthens our emotional relationship with our fans and emotionality is the catalyst for the digital range". Hellmann's commitment to the "digital infrastructure" was spectacularly demonstrated and staged through holographic projections, alternately showing the Eintracht Frankfurt logo, the newly launched Eintracht Frankfurt app, the Frankfurt skyline and other digital symbols.

The evening was then concluded with finger food and beverages in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere while the attendees were given the opportunity to have a photograph taken of themselves with the prestigious DFB Cup (German Football Association Award in a knock-out football competition).