Germany-First Shortlist
17 highest-priority German channels, tiered by function. Germany concentrates the mandate pressure (BMW, VW, Mercedes-Benz), the regulatory infrastructure (DPP Registry, battery passport), and the association density (VDA, VDMA, BVL). Non-Germany channels become relevant post-GA with case studies.
Tier 1: Pipeline Events (Invest Budget)
1. automotiveIT Kongress
Ingolstadt, Oct 14, 2026 | Score: 33/35
First commercial moment, thirteen days after GA. 100% CIO audience; organizer positions it as “kein Massen-Event” (not a mass event). OEM attendees enter free (EUR 0 special quota); vendors pay EUR 1,225-1,550, creating buyer-pull economics. Confirmed 2026 speakers: BMW Group CIO Franz Decker, Audi AG CIO Frank Loydl, Mercedes-Benz VP AI/Data Daniel Eitler. T-Systems validated this channel as Gold Sponsor in 2025 with live Catena-X demos.
Action: Attend/speak. Bring a live demo: “join any EDC dataspace in under an hour.” Target BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, ZF, Continental CIOs/CDOs via LinkedIn attendee mapping 4-6 weeks before. Book 8-12 meetings.
2. VDA Mittelstandstag
Bonn, Jun 2026 | Score: 30/35
~200 Geschaeftsfuehrer (managing directors/CEOs) of mid-sized automotive suppliers under OEM mandate pressure. The 2024 edition focused on AI and data strategies.
Action: Attend/speak. Compliance-urgency pitch: “Your OEM customer mandated Catena-X. We handle the connector so your IT team doesn’t have to.” Request speaking/demo slot from VDA. Target Geschaeftsfuehrer of Tier-2/3 suppliers with mandate letters.
3. Rethink! Smart Manufacturing
Berlin, Jun 28-30, 2026 | Score: 26/35
~150 executives with only 5 exhibitor slots, creating a 1:30 exhibitor-to-attendee ratio. Confirmed speakers include Birgit Boss (Senior Expert Digital Twins and Standardization). Cost-per-qualified-conversation estimated at EUR 200-500.
Action: Apply for one of five exhibitor slots. Bring an AAS / digital twin demo using Kaphera’s AAS Part 2-compliant Digital Twin Registry. Target Head of Production and Head of Digitalization at Manufacturing-X companies.
4. MobiCon
Berlin, Jun 10-11, 2026 | Score: 25/35
Mercedes-Benz CTO Joerg Burzer and Daimler Buses CEO Till Oberwoerder are confirmed speakers. MDS is a named partner, enabling a co-presentation leveraging the Think-it/MDS relationship.
Action: Co-present with Think-it at MDS partner booth. Target OEM data leads evaluating managed MDS connector operations. Goal: 5-8 qualified conversations.
5. ALSC Digital Strategies Europe
Munich, Nov 2026 | Score: 28/35
Intimate format focused on AI, data integration, and supply chain visibility platforms. Access to OEM logistics heads and supply chain VPs from BMW, Tesla, JLR, Stellantis.
Action: Attend. Offer: “Managed EDC for supply-chain data exchange, OEM-mandated, deployed in under an hour.” LinkedIn attendee mapping 4-6 weeks prior.
Tier 2: Credibility + Selective Pipeline
6. Tractus-X Community Days
Stuttgart, Jul 2-3, 2026 | Score: 27/35
Stated audience: developers, solution architects, product managers (not budget-holding CIOs). For the Participant persona, this is credibility-only. For the Builder persona (engineering teams at ZF, Bosch, BMW choosing production connector management), this IS pipeline. The Battery Pass Viewer App contributors face make-or-buy decisions.
Action: Community participant, not vendor. Identify Battery Pass Viewer App contributor organizations via GitHub contributor lists pre-event. Offer: “We run 150+ EDC connectors in MDS production; let us run yours.”
7. VDMA/SCALE-MX
Ongoing | Score: 26/35
SCALE-MX (EUR 4.4M, 84.9% BMWK funded) is the government mechanism for SME technology transfer across all Manufacturing-X sub-projects. 108 partners, 27 SMEs transitioning from development to operations after mid-2026.
Action: Request member event access via VDMA. Position Kaphera as recommended managed-connector provider for Manufacturing-X SME onboarding. Target VDMA regional coordinators and SCALE-MX program managers.
8. Catena-X Newcomer Webinars
Monthly, online
Low-cost awareness among companies entering the Catena-X ecosystem. Newcomers are actively evaluating onboarding paths.
Action: Explore speaking opportunities. Offer: “Join Catena-X in under an hour, from EUR 20/month.” Target IT-Leiter and Catena-X program owners.
Tier 3: Association and Certification Channels
9. Cofinity-X Marketplace Listing
Ongoing (gated by TISAX AL2)
The marketplace is the primary commercial distribution surface for Catena-X managed services (35 apps, 32 services). The sub-EUR 5K managed EDC tier is under-served.
Action: Apply for Enablement Service Provider certification after TISAX AL2 is obtained. Offer shared-plan managed connector at EUR 20-50/month.
10. BearingPoint Partnership
Ongoing (unvalidated)
Certified Qualified Advisor from Catena-X e.V. Advisory-only with no managed-connector product. Manuel Schuler (Global Leader Automotive) and Christoph Landgrebe (Partner) are active in Catena-X expert groups.
Action: Approach Manuel Schuler for referral arrangement. Every client BearingPoint advises on PCF, traceability, or DCM eventually needs a production EDC connector. Meet at automotiveIT Kongress and Catena-X expert groups.
Note: Partnership viability is unvalidated. No conversation has occurred; referral willingness is pending first contact.
11. GBA Data Exchange Working Group
Ongoing, online/Brussels | Score: 28/35
17 trial consortia testing real-world battery passport implementation; results expected June 2026. The Battery Pass Technical Guidance v1.0 explicitly names EDC as a co-existing data exchange standard.
Action: Apply for membership or attend next GBA Townhall (open to non-members). Offer battery passport connector pilot with EDC-based data exchange.
12. MDS Community Event
Annual, ~100 guests, Germany | Score: 29/35
Highest conversion density per attendee of any channel. Attendees are actual MDS members deciding between self-hosting and managed operations. Think-it’s 150+ production MDS connectors give Kaphera the strongest reference in the room.
Action: Request a speaking slot. Target MDS member organization data/IT leads.
13. BVL Supply Chain CX
Berlin, Oct 21-22, 2026 | Score: 28/35
Two-day restructured format: Congress Area targets entrepreneurs and top decision-makers (DSV CEO, ThyssenKrupp board member, Otto Group CEO confirmed). Supply chain digitalization is among seven core themes.
Action: Congress ticket for C-suite networking. Relevant post-GA.
Tier 4: Regional Automotive Cluster Networks
Four regional clusters offer periodic supplier networking events with Mittelstand decision-maker access.
14. Bayern Innovativ Cluster Automotive (Bavaria)
700+ companies/institutes. Advisory board includes BMW, Audi, Brose, Schaeffler. Key events: Cooperation Forum Vehicle Electrical Systems (Oct 29), IZB International Suppliers Fair (Oct 27-29, Wolfsburg, co-promoted).
Action: Attend cluster events. Target Bavarian Tier-1/2 suppliers evaluating Catena-X compliance. Offer: “Managed connector for Catena-X, comply without building infrastructure.”
15. automotiveland.nrw (NRW)
800 automotive suppliers. Runs Zukunftskonferenz Automotive and Learning Journey site-visit formats.
Action: Contact cluster management for next event dates. NRW’s dense supplier base faces identical OEM mandate pressure. Offer regional co-marketing.
16. AMZ Sachsen (Saxony)
165 members, EUR 3.07B combined turnover, 22,000 jobs. Events: 9th SAM Symposium (Jun 16, Zwickau), 30th Automotive Forum Zwickau (Nov 10-11). The 30th anniversary congress is a milestone networking opportunity.
Action: Attend SAM Symposium and/or Automotive Forum Zwickau.
17. Automotive Agentur Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony)
Germany’s #1 car-manufacturing state: 700+ suppliers, 340,000 employees, 5 regional nodes. Events: Jahresnetzwerktreffen (annual, Nov), IZB Wolfsburg (Oct 6-8). VW home state: suppliers here are first in line for VW’s Catena-X mandate.
Action: Request speaking slot at Jahresnetzwerktreffen. Map attendees via LinkedIn.