100 handpicked guests. One private location in Berlin. Five hours of conversation, warmth and genuine connection — with the people who shape Europe’s AI future.
11 May 2027 · Berlin | Max 100 Guests | Select Seats Available
For over 10 years, Rise of AI has built the most trusted network in European AI. The Speaker Dinner is where that trust becomes friendship.
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HOW TO ATTEND
The Leadership Dinner is not open to the public. Access is intentionally limited
— to preserve the quality of the room and the depth of the conversations.
Every confirmed speaker at Rise of AI 2027 receives an invitation to the dinner.
Speaking on stage earns you a seat at the table.
A number of guests are personally invited by Veronika & Fabian Westerheide based on
their work, their standing, and the mix they bring to the room.
Select Rise of AI 2027 partnership packages include a seat at the dinner as part of a meaningful long-term collaboration.
EXPLORE PARTNERSHIPS →A strictly limited number of Premium Passes grant access to the Leadership
Dinner alongside the full Rise of AI Conference. Once allocated, they are gone.
Every year, we ask our guests what made the difference. These are their words — unedited, from the 2026 feedback.
“The atmosphere created by Veronika & Fabian is unique — I haven’t seen any other conference with a similar welcoming and warm community.”
“Family atmosphere and approachability of everyone. No one thinks they are better or higher placed than others. Social interactions are frictionless.”
“My absolute favourite event of the year — as always. You genuinely feel everyone coming together and becoming a real community.”
“You created a unique space for sincere and meaningful exchanges. Thank you for doing this!”
“A closed circle of non-ego creative thinkers from different sectors in one space. It should be the party of the year that everyone wants to be in — but with sharp doorkeepers.”
“It’s a family-like feeling that you don’t get somewhere else.”
"Unpretentious, brilliant people. Genuinely pleasant. Nothing like OMR."
Rise of AI Alumni · 2026 — on what makes Rise of AI distinctive
No random placement. No algorithm. Every seat at every table is chosen personally based on who you are, what you’re working on, and who you need to meet. Seating is a craft, not an afterthought.
On request, every guest receives a one-page briefing before the dinner, who is at your table, what they are working on, and what connections might be worth exploring. You arrive prepared, not surprised.
CEOs next to researchers. Politicians across from founders. Artists beside investors. Young wildcards alongside the established. The mix is deliberate because the best conversations happen at the intersection.
Every edition takes place in a different exclusive private venue in Berlin chosen to match the spirit of the year. Never the same. Never announced publicly in advance.
No keynotes. No panels. No presentations. The evening has no agenda by design. Five hours belong entirely to conversation.
Strictly capped at 100. Everyone in the room was chosen to be there, which changes the quality of every exchange from the first handshake to the last toast.
A multi-course dinner designed for the occasion, with the food, setting and music creating a natural rhythm where five hours feel like two.
The Speaker Dinner takes place the night before Rise of AI 2027. The conversations begun at the table continue on stage the next morning, and often beyond.
Rise of AI has spent 10+ years building the most trusted network in European AI. The Speaker Dinner is where that trust is renewed each year, around a table.
The people building Europe’s most consequential AI companies from seed-stage to category leaders.
Mayors, State Secretaries and officials shaping Germany and Europe’s
AI strategy at the highest level.
Leading voices from academia and research institutes pushing the frontier of what’s possible.
C-level executives from Germany’s and Europe’s most important companies deploying AI at scale.
Those backing the next wave of European AI from seed to growth, from Germany to global.
Artists, wildcards, rising voices alongside the established because the best dinner tables are never homogeneous.
For many guests, the Leadership Dinner has become the actual highlight of Rise of AI — the evening where real relationships form, where the year’s most memorable conversations happen. That didn’t happen by accident.
