Education Festival

A forum for addressing challenges and envisioning the future of education from all angles – teachers, children and students, civil society and technology and public administration.

Challenge

The “Wiener Bildungsfestival” was created to address the pressing challenges in Vienna’s education system, from early childhood education to secondary schools. With growing student numbers, the need for stronger language skills and more, educators face increasing demands every day.

Our partners

The Vienna Education Festival was initiated by a subsidiary of the Innovation in Politics Institute and is supported by the City of Vienna. The initiative is backed by several key partners from the governmental and business sector as well as numerous organizations from the education sector, such as Kinder in Wien, the St. Nikolausstiftung and many more.

Approach

Launching the Vienna Education Festival was about creating a movement for improvements in the education system. As the team behind the festival, we brought together diverse interests, built a compelling programme, and created a space for meaningful exchange. Our role was to connect key stakeholders, designing an engaging programme that balanced inspiration with action. Beyond the event itself, we focused on community-building.

Impact

The Vienna Education Festival has had a significant impact since its inception, achieving notable success. The first Festival addressed critical issues such as teacher shortages, mental health in schools, language skills development, foundational competencies, and preparing students for future challenges. Even though the Festival was taking place for the first time, it was sold out, reflecting strong interest in educational innovation. The second Festival was even more successful: Attendance grew to over 900 participants, with 80 speakers and contributions from 65 partner organisations, demonstrating increased engagement.

Key Facts

Facilitation of 2 events

in 2023 and 2024.

Aligning 65 Partner interests

and 900 participants in 2024 demonstrated increased engagement.

Creating innovative formats

like the “Bildungsstadt”, which became a festival highlight.

Design of engaging program

New focus areas included the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in education.