What is ’7tm’ all about?
Well, this platform exists since 2008 and was established to target creative, playful and curious consumers, consumers that want something special when it comes to buying fashion & design … which they get if you look at the different shops and locations, they all provide the feeling of being special and individual for consumers.
It is not simply ‘retailing’, no, it is an initiative where clustering fashion & design, being together but also being individual, city branding and local ‘area’ consumption come together.

The website www.7tm.at shows not only all the different shops, the shop owners and their concept & products, it also offers special ‘shop tours’, a blog and different recommendations from various people from the ‘scene’.
This platform promotes, together with the Vienna Tourism Board, the Austrian National Tourist Office and some selected hotels in Vienna 58 attractive and individual shops and stores.

Of course we searched through the web 2.0 to see if there are similar concepts around the globe … it seems that ’7tm’ is really unique, we could not find any comparable platform…

Plan this in for your next trip to Vienna and have a look yourself, you will not get disappointed …

Please try to describe yourself in just 5 words!
Brilliant, genius, strong, awesome and above all, modest. ☺

Tell us a bit about the initiative ‘TEDX’, when it all started and what it means in general!
TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) was founded in 1984 and is a global set of conferences, formed to disseminate “ideas worth spreading”. TED’s early emphasis was largely technology and design, but nowadays they address an increasingly wide range of topics within the research and practice of science and culture.

Created in the spirit of “ideas worth spreading” TED grants licenses to third parties to hold free TEDx (x= independently organized event) in cities around the world.
This program is designed to give communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through TED-like experiences at the local level. That´s exactly what we are trying to achieve with TEDx Vienna.

How is TEDX positioned in Austria?
TEDx started in Austria with Tedx Pannonia on Sep. 11^th, 2010 and up until now there were 6 conferences held in Austria, twice at Vienna, Salzburg and Pannonia in each case.

Why should people attend TEDX events eg sessions?
We follow the TED format as much as possible and the TED conference is unique. The speakers sit with the attendees, many of whom are also involved in wonderful and uplifting work. There are no keynote speakers; all speakers are equal. There are no panel discussions or Q&A. Instead, there are frequent breaks where people can speak to whomever they choose; and because the entire room is filled with people passionate about Ideas Worth Spreading, many new ideas and idea cross-pollination occurs. The sheer beauty of a day like this is that everyone gathered is there to ensure that the ideas move on to have greater impact in our world.

Does the positioning of TEDX also include web 2.0 activities and if yes, which ones?
One of the main ideas of Web 2.0 is sharing: our Facebook Page, Twitter Channel, tumblr and blog are the key elements of spreading ideas and get inspired by others, it is a communication of many to many.

TEDX also has a blog, can you tell us why?
Ideas are popping up and need a platform to spread: the TEDxVienna Blog is the platform for ‘ideas worth spreading’.

Have you ever come across a blog that you thought was interesting and if yes, which one and why?
I m reading numerous blogs, like socialmediaclub, techcrunch or videogum, but I especially enjoy reading our own blog at tedxvienna for obvious reasons.

Any comments you would like to share with us?
I simply would like to invite people to take a look at our site. We have got a lot of interesting stuff to offer!

The official ball season in Vienna starts beginning of November and the last ball we discovered takes place beginning of July. In general one can say that the majority of balls take place from January-April … we counted over 40 balls which take place in 2012.

Next to the classical and famous balls like the ‘Opernball’, the ‘Ball der Wiener Philharmoniker’ or the ‘Zuckerbäckerball’ and the ‘Ball der Wiener Kaffeesieder’, Vienna also offers some very ‘extra-ordinary’ ‘Bälle’ … for the creative among us who would like to visit an extra-ordinary ball we thought it would be nice to show a few of them …

Famous in the meantime is the ‘Lifeball’, an Aids Charity Event that takes place in Vienna every year since 1993, every year with a different main theme. In 2012 the ‘Lifeball’ will take place on May 19^th, the theme is ‘Fight the Flames of Ignorance’, the last theme within a 4 year cycle : 2009 ‘Let Love Flow’, 2010 ‘Sow the Seeds of Solidarity’, 2011 ‘Spread the Wings of Tolerance’. This is a great ball with magnificent people, fancy dresses, fashion shows and a lot of VIP’s …

Another fancy ball is the ‘Rosenball’, the only classical aspect of this ball is the opening ceremony … the rest of the evening gives you more the feeling of ‘party & disco’ … this ball took place as ‘underground ball’ at the legendary disco U4 in Vienna.

A great ball is the ball which is initiated by the brand ‘Almdudler’, the ‘Almdudler Trachtenpärchenball’, a ball which focuses solely on the regional traditional dressings in Austria called ‘Tracht’. Next to a splendid program one can see and enjoy great creations of ‘Tracht’ …

In 2011 the first ‘Cabaret Rouge Burlesque Ball’ took place in Vienna, where the pin-up and glamour of 1930-1950 was celebrated as ‘the crazy night of carnival’ … we searched a bit through Google but we could not find what is planned in 2012 … surprise, surprise …

Pick your favorite ball, either a classical one or an ‘extra-ordinary’ one and celebrate!

The city center of Vienna is transformed into a partly ‘oversized’ open air party platform with a varicolored music- and show program from traditional music, pop, rock, blues, funk & soul and electronic beats.
The program already starts in the late afternoon on December 31^st and ends between 02.00 and 04.00 hours on January 01^st. It is supported by the most well known radio stations in Austria like Radio Wien, Ö3, Superfly, Radio Arabella and their individual acts.

In 2011 the program shows acts like ‘Saturday D.I.S.C.O. Fever Live’, a Madonna Cover Show called ‘Like a Virgin’, ‘DIVAS of POP’ and several DJ collective acts.

The ‘Silvesterpfad’ is complemented by more than 80 gastronomical spots and stands and is definitely a highlights for the party-people from Vienna and those who stay in Vienna but still are unsure how & where to party during NYE …

We recommend … do not miss this one!

1. Please try to describe yourself in just 5 words!
Determined, enthusiastic, happy, friendly, slightly chaotic and reflective.

2. Tell us about ‘Viennarama’ and when it all started!
Viennarama started as a university project as part of my studies and I have always dreamed of having my own media outlet. So I thought why wait?
That’s why I created Viennarama which is devoted to the cultural scene in Vienna. We are also continually expanding our readership.

3. Why was ‘Viennarama’ brought to life?
It came to life because I adore Vienna and its culture. Vienna is the perfect fusion of tradition and modernity. I wanted to pay homage to the local culture with all its concerts, exhibitions and exceptional artists and musicians. As there was no comparable online portal, I decided to start my own.

4. What is so special about ‘Viennarama’?
We are a young team of voluntary students inspired by Viennese cultural scene and want to share this with others. So you can say, it’s from young people to young people.

5. How does ‘Viennarama’ reach its readers and how does it increase its readers?
We reach most of our readers through Facebook, where we post all new articles and events daily. We are also quite high up in Google Ranking, and word-of-mouth is one of our strengths.

6. What is your personal goal for ‘Viennarama’ for Vienna?
It would be great if we could get into print as well, but that is a long-term goal. Being able to finally pay our hardworking editors is also amongst them.

7. Have you ever come across a blog or website that you thought was interesting and if yes, which one and why?
As I said before until now I have not found a blog that’s comparable to Viennarama and this is why I started this blog.

8. Any comments you would like to share with us?
The main thrust is the love of Vienna. Vienna offers so many opportunities, and it is no surprise that it is in the top spot of the Mercer 2010 Quality of Living Survey.

A trendy bar with trendy people, trendy music and great deco, before entering your favorite club later in the night this is a great ‘NYE starter’ …

We would be delighted to welcome you, please register yourself by simply writing a mail to drings@jjwhotels.com!
Vienna´s NYE Vodka Night @ Drings Flyer (PDF, 1.2MB)

Every year the different shopping areas of the city try to exceed themselves when it comes to the Christmas lighting and decoration. Festive and modern breathtaking lighting concepts are seen throughout the city …

But not only shopping streets and malls try to ‘show-off’ with their lighting, also hotels do … like The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel with its beautiful ‘Christmas curtain’.

There is definitely too much lighting to be viewed, we would like to share the most spectacular and special lightings we found & saw with you …

Enjoy and feel the spirit of Christmas!

Under the focus “Pioneering for Results” the Global Social Business Summit 2011, which will take in Vienna for the 1^st time from November 10^th – 12^th, 2011, pioneers of the worldwide social business movement come together to connect and exchange experiences about social business.

More than 400 individuals coming from the corporate, political, civil, societal and academic world will join to network and to gain an in-depth understanding of social business. High-level representatives from international companies such as Danone, Sandoz, Siemens, BASF or Intel as well as high-ranking government representatives from all over the world will gather to exchange experiences, initiate future projects and develop concrete goals. The discussions that will take place during the Summit will focus on how to tackle new challenges through the globalization and the creation of political frameworks for social business worldwide.

One of the highlights of the summit in 2011 in Vienna is the public speech of Prof. Muhammad Yunus, Novel Peace Prize laureate, founder of the Grameen Bank and initiator of Social Business and NASA astronaut Ron Garan on November 10^th. On November 12^th, Prof. Yunus will meet artists at the Museumsquartier to discuss what art can do for social business.

We met Hans Reitz, creative advisor to the Yunus Centre in Dhaka and Managing Director of the Grameen Creative Lab in Wiesbaden, Germany by coincidence a few months ago, talked to him about not only social business in general but also about this summit and decided to become a partner of this unique initiative.

More information on the Global Social Business Summit 2011 in Vienna can be found via www.gsbs2011.com

The Grand Hotel Wien and The Ring, Vienna’s Casual Luxury Hotel will be the leading VIP Hotels for the GSBS 2011 in Vienna and together with the organizers we will not only host all possible VIP’s in both hotels but also enjoy a great summit, hopefully gathering numerous social ideas for the future!

“The first edition of WAVES VIENNA was a pertinent reminder that there is a music industry in central and eastern Europe which rarely gets talked about. The entire region needs a professionally organized music conference and festival, and a platform where local musicians can showcase their talent. WAVES VIENNA clearly fulfills this mandate, and I very much look forward to returning to next year´s event.” Mirko Whitfield (SXSW, Austin, Texas, US)

Waves Vienna 2011 was definitely a great success, over 8000 people did visit the different festival acts. It has shown that Vienna has all what is needed for such a festival: a strong geographic position, x-ordinary venues, a ‘music freak’ audience and last but not least a strong national music scenery.

“Anyone who thinks that Austria´s capital isn´t a rock and roll town should visit Waves next year. Venues on boats with a great view of the cutting-edge new Vienna skyline, impressive local talent that none of us foreigners previously knew anything about, plus a well-crafted bill of big names and newcomers from as far afield as Montreal, Bratislava and Brighton. Great city. Great festival.” Si Hawkins (Clash Magazine, London GB)

The Ring, Vienna´s Casual Luxury Hotel is looking forward to be official VIP hotel again at Waves Vienna 2012. We welcome such a festival and are already curious.

This new initiative has been brought to life by the editorial department of www.wien.at, this also counts for the image community. On this new platform “WienerInnen” and “Wiener” do show how they see, explore and experience e.g. observe their city. Their images should show the quality of life in Vienna, the different highlights, special moments and so on. The image community of the city of Vienna gives all users the possibility to show their best images and also review and valuate the images of other users. Once per month 1 image is rewarded by a separate jury.

We definitely like this idea, one does see Vienna from totally different perspectives and also does see completely new places.