And there’s even more around: exclusive guided tours at Airbus and the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research on Tuesday. Included in your conference ticket.
Opening GATE FUTURE with the official welcome address. As Managing Director of Hamburg Airport, Berit Schmitz brings the perspective of one of Germany's major international gateways – setting the stage for two days of dialogue on the future of aviation.
Offering strategic insights into the future of airports and aviation – one of Europe's most influential airport executives speaks to the challenges and opportunities ahead. As CEO of Fraport AG, he oversees one of the world's leading airport operators, with Frankfurt Airport at its core and a portfolio spanning four continents.
Sharing how mindful innovation – not technology for its own sake – shapes the airport of the future. As Chief Innovation Officer at CVG, Brian oversees the Innovation, IT and Customer Experience divisions, turning the airport's 7,700-acre campus into a lab of advanced research. Under his stewardship CVG became the first airport in the world to trial and deploy a range of cutting-edge technologies, creating new efficiencies, revenue streams and economic value for the region.
As Managing Director of Fraport TAV Antalya Airport, Dr. Frank Quante leads one of the Mediterranean's leading tourism gateways and Turkey's second-busiest airport for international traffic. A lawyer by training with extensive experience across the Fraport Group – including five years as CEO of Fraport Twin Star in Bulgaria – he brings the operator's perspective on scaling infrastructure, sustainability and passenger experience at one of Europe's fastest-growing airports.
Sharing the inspiring story of his dream of flying and the remarkable journey that turned ambition into reality – a reminder that the sky is never the limit.
As Managing Director of Hamburg Aviation, Michael Vollrath leads one of Germany's most dynamic aviation clusters – bridging airlines, airports, aerospace industry and research to shape the future of aviation in the Hamburg Metropolitan Region.
For over a decade Gözde has shaped the built environment of Düsseldorf Airport. Since joining in 2014 overseeing technical and high-rise construction, she advanced to Head of Technical Building Equipment before becoming Director of Masterplan, Planning and Construction in 2022 – leading the long-term structural and operational development of one of Germany's busiest aviation hubs.
Driving corporate strategy and digital transformation at Fraport AG – Nino shapes Group-wide strategy and digitalization initiatives at Frankfurt Airport, building on experience across fleet operations, aviation consulting and airline revenue management.
Leading the Innovation Hub at Zurich Airport, where her team explores how emerging technologies and new ways of working can drive collaboration, efficiency and customer experience.
Driving the transformation of Vienna Airport into a multifunctional Airport City – Wolfgang leads Real Estate & Landside Management at Vienna Airport AG, developing the site into one of Austria's leading business campuses.
Bridging academia and industry – Andreas leads TH Wildau's Airline Management & Aviation Security department, with research focused on airport planning, capacity simulation and aviation security.
Florian Rudolph is a research associate and group leader for business-oriented airport management at the Institute of Air Transport at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Hamburg-Harburg. After studying computer science, specialising in databases and computer graphics, at the Technical University of Braunschweig, where he graduated with a Diplom in Computer Science, he has spent many years analysing and simulating passenger processes, as well as modelling pedestrian flows for the planning and optimisation of airport terminals.
Driving mindful innovation at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) – Brian leads the Innovation, IT and Customer Experience divisions, turning the airport into a living lab for cutting-edge technologies that create new efficiencies, revenue streams and regional economic value.
A seasoned leader in the mobile industry with over 15 years at Samsung, spanning Product Management and New Business Development. Driven by a passion for human-centric innovation, Mark focuses on bridging the gap between complex technology and everyday empowerment, and is a vocal advocate for the “speed of advancement.” He is currently exploring the transformative potential of Auracast, supporting the mainstream adoption of this next-generation audio technology – dedicated to ensuring users don’t just adopt new tech, but truly experience the tangible benefits it brings to their lives.
Leads the development of innovative solutions that enhance airport operations and passenger experiences at SITA, overseeing a global team integrating biometric, mobile and self-service technologies across more than 120 airports for over 13 billion passengers annually. Previously CEO of Materna IPS, he played a key role in its integration into SITA's Airports portfolio, launching the “Gold Standard” for automated passenger handling.
Over 25 years in airport baggage handling systems, innovation, automation and global infrastructure programs. Idar has led complex turnkey projects, driven product development in international markets, and managed cross-functional teams across cultures – contributing to large-scale system modernization and turnaround initiatives worldwide.
Part of the Innovation Team at Zurich Airport, exploring new ideas, trends and practical initiatives that improve the airport experience through curiosity, collaboration and hands-on experimentation.
Driving airport cooperation across Central Europe – long-standing head of Poland's State Enterprise “Polish Airports” (PPL), overseeing Warsaw Chopin and a network of regional airports.
Position your company as a driver of aviation innovation. GATE FUTURE unites 350+ senior decision-makers, airport executives and technology leaders – giving your brand direct access to the people shaping tomorrow's airports.
Curated, practitioner-led sessions where technology partners and airports tackle real operational challenges together – from AI-driven ground operations to passenger well-being and sustainable equipment pooling.
A digital interface between baggage handling and fleet management – a kind of “Uber” for ground handlers. Developed with Heathrow and its handlers and heading into live testing, presented as an open session on the story and the solution.
Sharing ground support equipment across handlers – transparently and reliably. A first-hand look at the centralised non-motorised pool at Düsseldorf with 700+ units, SmartFLEET telematics, and the trust framework that makes it work.
Geometrically accurate digital twins linked to real process models, now evolved into an AI-supported forecasting tool across operational, tactical and strategic horizons – developed with Cologne Bonn Airport, with a clear look at cost, benefit and return.
Holistic engineering – from product to high-end digital twins. Where the modular CityBot platform meets airport realities, with a case study from Fraport.
Motional Digital Twin – powered by Physical AI and 3D LiDAR – continuously captures 3D spatial data for unmatched visibility into how people and vehicles really move, improving efficiency, passenger experience and safety. With deployment examples from major international airports.
Pushback is one of the apron's most safety-critical processes. Using Hamburg Airport's move toward single-operator pushback with Evitado's ELVIZ hazard awareness as a live case study, this interactive session maps the path from digital assistance to higher automation – building a shared Pushback Automation Roadmap.
The Chronolite approach: adaptive, science-based lighting across the full passenger journey – terminal to aircraft – to reduce stress and jet lag, and turn lighting from infrastructure into a strategic experience tool.
The digitalisation of modern airports brings major efficiency gains – but as IT and OT systems become increasingly intertwined, from baggage handling and building automation to safety-critical command-and-control, the demands on cybersecurity, access control and the protection of critical infrastructure keep rising. This workshop covers IT/OT convergence at airports, secure remote access and zero-trust approaches, the protection of critical infrastructure and OT networks, cybersecurity risks in airport operations, network segmentation and access controls, and compliance with NIS2 and regulatory requirements – rounded out with best practices and practical solutions.
In a short, interactive discussion, participants jointly assess infrastructure-based marshalling as a stepping stone toward autonomous apron operations – weighing the potential benefits for safety and efficiency, the technical and operational requirements, limitations and regulatory considerations, the preconditions for an infrastructure-based approach, and hybrid models that combine vehicle-based and infrastructure-based solutions. Attendees leave with practical ideas for initial implementation.
Travel by passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) keeps growing. This interactive session shows how data-driven decisions, machine learning and AI-supported dispatching can improve PRM services – cutting waiting times, optimising coordination across the airport and making the journey smoother, more transparent and more inclusive.
Beyond the vision: a five-step framework for operationalising AI in complex, regulated organisations. Featuring the Lenze transformation as a working case study, plus a guided self-assessment for participants.
As airports face increasing demands for safety, operational continuity, and resilience against evolving security threats, traditional perimeter protection systems are reaching their limits. This workshop explores the next generation of intelligent airport security based on the fusion of LiDAR and camera technologies. By combining the precise 3D spatial awareness of LiDAR with the rich contextual information provided by visual imaging, sensor fusion enables highly reliable detection, classification, and tracking of intrusions while significantly reducing false alarms caused by wildlife, weather, or environmental factors.
Got a workshop idea that pushes airports forward? Submit your proposal and join the line-up. Currently open to GATE Members only.
There’s even more around the conference: join exclusive guided tours at Airbus and the ZAL Center of Applied Aeronautical Research in Hamburg on Tuesday – a rare look behind the scenes of aviation innovation.
© Airbus
© Globetrotter Erlebnis GmbH
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All tickets include access to all sessions, congress materials, catering and networking events. All prices excluding VAT.
21 – 22 October 2026 · Am Dammtor / Marseiller Str., Hamburg · One of Germany's premier congress venues, in the heart of Europe's civil aviation hub.
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