The OMR 2026 put Hamburg back in a state of emergency: 70,000 visitors, fully booked hotels and a program that ranged from AI politics to bumper cars. But how much trade fair is still in Europe’s largest digital festival? We were there and experienced where the OMR delivers real substance and where it becomes pure brand presentation.
How dominant was AI really at OMR 2026?
As in previous years, the undisputed core topic at OMR 2026 was artificial intelligence, which shaped almost every debate in the halls. Federal Digital Minister Karsten Wildberger (CDU) used his opening speech to make an urgent appeal for Germany’s digital independence. He demanded that Germany must massively catch up with cloud systems, language models and AI platforms in order to secure sovereignty over foreign providers.
He emphasized that this is not pure pessimism by pointing to 30 percent growth in start-ups compared to the previous year, which was largely driven by AI innovations. Experts such as Scott Galloway and Signal boss Meredith Whittaker also took the stage to provide deeper insights into the transformation of the world of work through intelligent systems.
Bumper cars, vapes and energy breaks: Is the OMR still a trade fair?
Critical voices could argue that the OMR is now more like a fair than a business event. The tobacco industry was present this year with brands like Lucky Strike and vapes were offered to participants on almost every corner of the site. Porsche caused a stir by renting an entire bumper car from Hamburg Cathedral and making it available to visitors free of charge.
Even the largest stage, the “Conference Stage”, was all about sponsorship: Red Bull quickly renamed the breaks between the panel talks “Energy Breaks” and provided the audience with free drinks from refrigerators provided. One can criticize this event character as a distraction, but here the OMR motto comes true: If you want to focus on business, you will still find in-depth specialist knowledge in the numerous master classes on e-commerce and influencer marketing. The fairground elements are simply an offering for those who are looking for that festival feeling.
Klitschko’s Ukraine appeal and a celebrity program from Brady to Klum
Aside from the glittering brand presentation, there were moments of remarkable substantive gravity. An emotional highlight was the appearance of Wladimir Klitschko, who in a conversation with Bild vice-president Paul Ronzheimer urgently called for continued support for Ukraine. He warned the thousands of listeners not to look away, as the war was taking place in the middle of Europe.
This seriousness was offset by the usual dense array of global superstars: from football legend Tom Brady to Heidi Klum and Bill Kaulitz, the density of celebrities was as high as usual. The evening program with artists like Mark Forster, SSIO and Oli. P ultimately ensured the end of a day at the trade fair, in the typical festival character.
You decide for yourself what you take away from the OMR
The OMR 2026 is a mammoth event that pushes the city of Hamburg to its logistical limits – full trains and fully booked hotels at top prices are now part of the standard program. One can certainly question the increasing commercialization and dominance of lifestyle topics.
But in the end, the OMR offers a platform that is unrivaled in Europe. Whether you spend your time driving bumper cars and getting free vapes or using the political and technological impulses for your own business is up to you. The OMR is exactly what you make of it.
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