Hamburg, Germany—Under the motto Share Your Vision, Photopia Hamburg 2023 is an annual festival experience for everyone whose business, hobby or passion is photography or filming.
The event follows the successful fall 2022 festival with more than 10,000 guests on the grounds of Hamburg Messe und Congress. The third Photopia, again in the vicinity of the Reeperbahn Festival, will open its doors from September 21–24, 2023. As an interface for industry representatives, content creators and the public, Photopia turns the Hanseatic city into the center of the digital imaging scene for four days.
“The eye-catching hall concept in industrial design guarantees a completely new trade show experience,” said the organizers. With an installation of 350 shipping containers, the makers of Photopia transform the exhibition halls into a futuristic metropolis with photo motifs on an area of 65,615 square feet. 
Furthermore, a look at the Photopia program makes it clear how important AI-related (artificial intelligence) issues are in photography at the moment. Three conferences, a specialist panel and various lectures offer platforms for questions and discussions.
Opening hours:
Thursday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m. (trade audience)
Friday and Saturday: 10 a.m.– 6 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.
To see the full program schedule, click here.
Photopia Hamburg 2023 Attractions
The festival’s expo is an important business meeting place and the heart of the festival. Newcomers can meet global players and together look at the future of an industry that inspires millions globally. This includes companies involved in image and video capture, editing and processing, storage, display as well as sharing.
On Thursday, Photopia opens as a marketplace for the trade audience. In addition to product exhibits there are product training sessions, panels as well as educational conferences*. Speakers will discuss challenges in the imaging industry as well as trends and future topics. Top among them is artificial intelligence.
However, along with industry members, Photopia is a magnet for the public. Enthusiastic photo and video community members can attend from Friday to Sunday. In addition, diverse programming offers professionals, hobby photographers, content creators and YouTubers concentrated sessions and numerous formats for exchanges, meetings and networking.
Under the umbrella of the Photopia Academy, workshops and photo walks also invite participants to learn techniques and foster creativity. Moreover, on two stages, the festival presents a lineup of the “who’s who” from photography, videography, art and social media.
The exhibitions and installations, staged in containers on the exhibition grounds and as art in public spaces, are another Photopia hallmark. These offerings are rounded off with live photo shoots, award ceremonies, dance acts and parties.
What’s more, Photopia presents retro trends and significant developments from the world of imaging. Virtual and augmented reality exhibits, for example, create experiences by linking the real world with the virtual world. Other highlights for the public are in blockchain technology, as well as AI, Metaverse and NFT. Plus, at Slow Photography, one of the hottest trends in photography, the active photography scene meets in a kind of analog circus.
Conference Highlights
ImagingExecutives@PHOTO
Furthermore, one day before Photopia, the ImagingExecutives@PHOTOPIA conference will kick off with top-class guests. The B2B conference will take place for the third time as part of Photopia. In the Chicago ballroom at the Hamburg exhibition center, top executives of hardware and software suppliers, imaging and printing service providers, retail companies as well as distributors will meet to discuss new business concepts for the photo-imaging industry. The topics are relevant for anyone whose business involves the creation, editing, marketing, or delivery of visual content. 
On September 20, Generative Business Intelligence is the featured session. This year’s motto “Generative Business Intelligence” picks up on a buzz word that is on everyone’s lips. It centers on the creation of text with generative artificial intelligence (AI). In fact, realistic-looking photos and videos are now created with generative AI. The B2B conference will look at the consequences of these and other current developments for the imaging business.
Generative AI is an important but not the only technology to create, edit, process and print visual content to communicate with imagery. While AI is already embedded in capture devices, software solutions, printing methods and image communication processes, any of these technologies is only viable in the imaging market if it can create value. That’s why intelligent new business concepts and marketing ideas are the topic of the ImagingExecutives@PHOTOPIA 2023 conference.
After the conference program, which will last from around 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on September 20, 2023, a networking reception will follow in an informal setting with drinks and hors d’oeuvres.
Generative AI – More Opportunities than Risks?
Under the title “Generative AI – More Opportunities than Risks?” various experts from software companies Adobe and Pattern Recognition Company (Excire); camera manufacturer Leica; image service provider CEWE; the agency Die Bildbeschaffer; as well as professional photographer J. Konrad Schmidt (BFF) will discuss the advantages of AI in photography today and tomorrow. This will occur during the industry talk of the Photoindustrieverband e.V. on the opening day of Photopia, September 21.
Beyond the Photoverse
The Beyond the Photoverse congress is on the agenda for September 21, beginning at 10:30 a.m. This conference discusses photography at the crossroads of NFT, AI, Web3, Metaverse and Crypto. National and international experts from the most important disruptive new technologies will take to the stage to completely rethink photography. 
Also at Photopia B2B Day, professional and commercial photographers, videographers, content creators and other experts from creative communication disciplines will spend a day learning about new tools and platforms. Expert speakers will provide inspiring cases, answers to legal questions in connection with the use of AI, as well as best practices of successful creations by award-winning creatives.
Confirmed speakers are NYC-based star photographer Barry Sutton; law firm founder and NFT attorney Dr. Oliver Scherenberg; NFT collector Kathrin Schael; photo and video artist Dennis Schmelz; and Anna Pramila Meissner, director of Storytelling, Demodern. Other speakers include Linda Stannider, chief strategy officer, Journee; Chat GPT expert Patricia Reiners; Sebastian Michels and Jan Rehda from All In NFT; and internationally successful photographer Christine Lipski. In addition, journalist Annika von Taube, metaverse and Web3 expert Jürgen Alke, and photographer Tom Hegen will take part.
Creative Content Conference
The three-day Creative Content Conference will offer inspiring programs for everyone professionally involved in content creation, photography and video. Moreover, it is the leading conference for professional photographers and content creators in Germany. The event highlights current topics and trends in photo and video production. 
At the third edition of the Creative Content Conference from September 22–24, 2023, the focus is on AI, business and inspiration. Successful photographers, filmmakers and multimedia producers will show how they use current technologies for their work. Experts from the creative industries will impart knowledge on relevant areas of the professional photo business. Plus, an interactive platform devoted exclusively to issues surrounding AI image generators will take place at the Creative Content Conference on September 22.
Furthermore, Friday is dedicated to AI-Generated Imagery. Topics will include how AI tools can integrate into a workflow in a meaningful and legally compliant way. Also covered are what opportunities the technology offers professional image makers. Participants are Boris Eldagsen, Robert Kneschke, Dorothe Lanc, Sebastian Deubelli, Claudia Bußjaeger (yesweprompt), Tweda and Sven Doelle. The photographers and experts will demonstrate how AI applications are revolutionizing photography and video, and what opportunities this presents for professional image creators. One focus of the Creative Content Conference is the professional formulation of prompts—as well as the sensible manual control of AI image generators.
In addition, Saturday is all about Photo & Business. How do I win and keep new customers? Which ideas and concepts help to increase sales? Where am I not yet exploiting my own potential to the full? These are some of the questions that will get answered. Presenting are Silke Güldner, Sebastian Weiss, Thorsten Rother, Alexa Becker, Jenny Engler-Petzold, Timo Lutz and Thomas Gessner.
Finally, Sunday sessions will concentrate on Inspiration & Creativity. How do I develop my own style? How do I achieve maximum resonance with my images? Popular content creators, style-defining icons and renowned personalities will provide insights into their creative worlds. Among them are Vincent Peters, Stefan Rappo, Franziska Stünkel, Simon Puschmann, Katja Ruge, Lisa Nieschlag and Andreas Jacobs.
Start-Ups and AI Exhibits at Photopia
Hamburg Messe und Congress is a driver for AI and presents selected and relevant AI solutions at its trade fairs and events in cooperation with AI.Hamburg.
“Like hardly any other sector, the imaging industry is fast moving and characterized by creative players who inspire with exciting technologies, promising concepts or surprising product innovations. The AI Center at Photopia in Hamburg offers start-ups a platform to present their innovations and applications for the new world of work. A wide variety of presentations and formats at Photopia will allow everyone involved in the future of visual media to discuss the potential and challenges of pioneering technologies,” said Bernd Aufderheide, president and CEO of Hamburg Messe und Congress. 
Artificial Intelligence is the number one topic of conversation. Photography and videography are rapidly changing due to this new technology. It ranges from cameras to image processing to image generation with software, not to mention generative AI. AI is giving imaging a whole new range of possibilities and changing viewing habits.
Photographers and creators have only begun to use these new AI technologies and expand the world of imaging. At the same time, experts warn we will soon no longer be able to distinguish between real (photo) and fake (AI image). The most important developments and questions surrounding AI are the focus of Photopia Hamburg.
The AI Center at Photopia showcases the possibilities and future of AI. Here AI.Hamburg will present the productivity tools, opportunities and innovations that Artificial Intelligence brings. Also present are the companies and start-ups that offer them. The AI Center in Hall A1 is the place to meet everyone working on the future of imaging. In addition to the start-up presentations, the center will present masterclasses and workshops. Experts will share their insights and knowledge, providing learning opportunities for professional audiences and interested parties.
Digital Art Exhibitions
Photopia breaks new ground by presenting for the first time AI exhibitions curated as part of the Through the Lens of AI competition. The images generated using Artificial Intelligence represent a wide range of styles. They range from realistic to abstract, surrealistic to futuristic. With this initiative, Photopia aims to demonstrate the limitless possibilities opened by the collaboration of human creativity and machine intelligence.
The best works will exhibit in Hall A4. This exhibit gives the public the opportunity to immerse themselves in completely new dimensions between art and creativity. In addition, another gallery at the Heimatlichter booth in Hall A1 will present AI artworks in a virtual exhibition that are explored using VR glasses.
- Conferences are held in German.
