The FUNKE Mediengruppe stands for regional journalism like no other publishing house in Germany. 75 years ago, its history began with the WAZ. The anniversary celebration was accompanied by NeoNext with a temporary exhibition, which portrayed founder Jakob Funke as well as FUNKE’s own vision of the future, newscity.

NeoNext staged the event in cooperation with Raufeld Medien for over 800 employees of the publishing house, focusing on its tradition in the Ruhr region. The event took place at the Essen Colosseum, a renovated steel industry hall, where many employees from FUNKE’s 200+ brands had the opportunity to engage with the company’s identity and history for the first time. Additionally, NeoNext and FUNKE addressed the current challenges of journalism by incorporating immersive VR applications and interactive communication modules to reflect the digitalization surge of Germany’s third-largest publishing house. NeoNext was responsible for the entire concept, design, and scenography of the temporary exhibition at the event.

For the numerous visitors from all corners of Germany – Hamburg, Berlin, Lower Saxony, Bavaria, and Thuringia – the evening also featured a performance by the American pop singer Anastacia. The shareholders of FUNKE, Julia Becker, Nora Marx, and Niklas Wilcke, as well as the Mayor of Essen, Thomas Kufen, and many prominent figures in the German newspaper industry were among the guests.