The Trade/Off Summit is one of the leading conferences in the German-speaking world, focusing on business growth and innovation in the age of AI. With the motto “Towards an Agentic Future”, this annual event brings together C-suite decision makers, executives, and digital thought leaders to provide guidance and foster discussion on the practical application of AI in business. The exclusive setting in Heidelberg ensures the programme focuses on substance rather than spectacle.
Our impressions of the event
A few weeks ago, our Head of UX Management, Steffen Roche, attended the trade/off Summit 2026 in Heidelberg and the event left a lasting impression. It’s rare to attend a conference where every single talk and presentation offers relevant insights. A big thank you, therefore, to Hauke Windmüller and the entire organising team for a thoroughly successful event.
Below, Steffen shares some of the food for thought he took away from the talks.
Three key takeaways from the presentations
PoCs: Get them right from the start
Proof-of-concept projects often fail not because of the technology, but right at the outset because the use case has not been defined clearly enough or the desired end state has not been described. The recommendation is to consistently incorporate the use case from the very beginning and to specify exactly what is to be achieved in the end. This is the only way to ensure that PoCs are built on a solid foundation.
Processes: AI does not make poor processes good
A common misconception when implementing AI is the assumption that technology can automatically optimise existing processes. However, processes have traditionally been designed primarily for people and many of them are now outdated. The crucial question is: Is the process still the right one at all? Or is it enough to focus on the desired output and specifically adapt the process before or after it for AI? A poor process with AI built into it remains a poor process.
Data management: Accessibility is often the real hurdle
In many companies, the adoption of AI fails less because of a lack of technology than because of the inaccessibility of existing data. Data is often available but it is stored in silos, poorly structured or simply unusable. Data management and governance are therefore becoming central to any serious AI transformation.
Our work in the field of AI transformation
These topics aren’t just abstract conference topics, they reflect exactly what we do every day at Centigrade. We’re currently helping companies such as Uster Technologies, V-ZUG and Volkswagen with process automation and AI transformation. If you’d like to find out more about how we go about this, please feel free to get in touch.
