June 29 & 30, 2026 From the Rooftop to the Red Stage: THE ZIPPER at the ESB Brand Festival
The night before ESB Networking Evening at ZIPPER
Two days, two stages, one message: Hospitality thrives on authentic experiences.
On June 29, together with the ESB Marketing Network, we transformed our Community Space into a networking evening with a view of the skyline—as the official pre-event for the Brand Festival. One day later, THE ZIPPER took the main stage itself: At the Rheinterrasse Düsseldorf, we showed more than 400 brand managers how the city hotel industry needs to reinvent itself.
On the eve of the Brand Festival, we opened our community space on the 13th floor and our rooftop terrace to about 80 participants from the branding and agency worlds. With perfect summer weather, a view of the Düsseldorf skyline, finger food from finefood Catering, and music from the DJ, partners, exhibitors, and speakers from the Brand Festival gathered for a relaxed get-together—deliberately away from the typical conference format.
Our DJ, who was spinning records while wearing a Germany jersey, helped set the right mood—after all, a World Cup round of 16 match was taking place at the same time, which many guests watched together on the terrace during a public viewing, while networking continued both inside and outside. The evening kicked off with opening remarks by Hans-Willy Brockes, Managing Director of the ESB Marketing Network, before our ZIPPER team officially took over.
The ESB Marketing Network itself also gave the event an all-around positive review afterward and expressly thanked our team for the great collaboration on this successful kickoff to the brand festival in Düsseldorf.
- A location with wow factor—community space & rooftop terrace with a 360° view of Düsseldorf
- Relaxed atmosphere—a get-together instead of formulaic networking
- Enjoyment without waiting – finger food catering, so the focus stays on the conversations
- Public viewing included – World Cup Round of 16 on the terrace, soccer fever guaranteed
- Music & atmosphere – DJ set in a Germany jersey, indoors and outdoors, until the last guest went home satisfied
The Big Day Brand Festival at the Rheinterrasse
Under the theme “People. Brands. Emotion.”, more than 400 CMOs, brand decision-makers, agencies, and media representatives gathered at the Rheinterrasse in Düsseldorf on June 30—including brands such as Volkswagen, Meta, Ferrero, Deichmann, Bahlsen, and Bugatti. The central question of the day: How do brands create connection, trust, and relevance in an era where content is increasingly generated automatically using AI?
This was precisely the focus of our own session. In the “Cities & Tourism” forum on the Red Stage, Tobias Sebastian Oberdieck, co-founder of Hospitality Xpeterience GmbH, and Franziska Pfaff, hotel manager at THE ZIPPER Hotel & Apartments, delivered their presentation:
“New Hospitality – How the City Hotel Industry Must Reinvent Itself!”
The focus: the major shift in travel motivations and habits, new target markets, growing competition—and the question of how THE ZIPPER, as a concept, intends to thrive in this environment. A key topic was how we are consistently pursuing digital transformation within our own organization, and how the Düsseldorf brand as a whole is positioned for this development.
The day’s core message aligned remarkably well with our own approach: The more digital the world becomes, the more valuable real-life experiences become. That’s exactly what we strive to embody every day at THE ZIPPER—smart, digital processes working behind the scenes, so there’s more room up front for genuine hospitality.
Hospitality X Takes Center Stage
For us as part of Hospitality X, our appearance at the Brand Festival was another step toward showing that modern urban hospitality goes far beyond rooms and check-in. Our hotel manager, Franziska Pfaff, also shared her impressions of the day with the community on LinkedIn—a wonderful example of how closely our network, brand, and team are intertwined.
Conclusion: Two days that show what we stand for
From the relaxed networking evening on our rooftop terrace to the presentation on the Red Stage—the ESB Brand Festival 2026 once again underscored why we at THE ZIPPER place such a high value on community and genuine connections. Whether as hosts or speakers: We bring people together and show what hospitality can look like today and tomorrow.
Want to discover our community space for your next event? We look forward to seeing you!
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