Bring it on! I’m looking forward to seeing the crème de la crème of the German event industry. And to my fellow jury members. I’m looking forward to an enriching exchange and a colorful BrandEx Festival!
VITA
Tobias Stupeler is an experienced creative director with 25 years of experience in the German and international event industry. He has been working as a freelance creative director in the Cologne/Bonn region since March 2019 and is responsible for the conception and creative management of events of various sizes. His clients include Vodafone, KfW, Trumpf, BMW, Patek Philippe, Volvo CE and Covestro.
Prior to this, he worked for many years in leading positions at renowned agencies, including facts+fiction and Uniplan in Cologne and MJM Creative in London.
Stupeler studied Applied Cultural Studies and Aesthetic Communication at the University of Hildesheim, specializing in media, music, politics and literature.
I am delighted to be part of the BrandEx jury. Exceptional brand staging is not just my profession, it’s my passion. In a world full of stimuli and information, courageous, positive and empathetic communication is like soul food for me. It nourishes our togetherness, it connects and it moves. Live communication has the special power to bring brands to life and release real energy. As a juror, I am not only interested in what is told, but above all how it is told. I appreciate concepts that show attitude, touch people and combine creative excellence with heart and meaning.
VITA
Sandra Hülsebus is Creative Director, Strategist and Managing Director of Am Start Events, an agency for experiential communication with heart and attitude. For almost 20 years, she has been developing effective communication strategies and emotional brand experiences for companies such as Vorwerk, TUI Cruises, Zscaler, Audi and Microsoft. Her strength lies in subtle storytelling that gives brands a soul – live, digital or somewhere in between. She is currently devoting herself with increasing enthusiasm to international technology and innovation brands that have the courage to rethink communication.
Being involved in a jury is always something special for me – and at BrandEx it’s even something very special: my very first award was a white apple at FAMAB (now BrandEx) – that remains and since then there has simply been an emotional connection. I’m very excited to see what the scene has to offer this year, and I’m looking forward to exciting creations and professional dialogue with my jury colleagues.
VITA
Stations
– 1999 – 2003: Marketing & management in various new economy start-ups
– 1999 – 2012: Engagements as presenter & news anchor
– 2003 to 2010: RPF Group – authorised signatory (headquarters)
– 2008 to date: SCHACHZUG – Co-CEO & Founder
– 2025 to date: THESE GUYS – Managing Partner & Founder
Expertise
– Brand & Marketing Strategy
– Experiential Creative Direction
– Pitch & Presentation
– Keynote Speaker
– Show Direction
Clients
Volkswagen, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Skoda, Audi, Harley Davidson, Nvidia, Fujitsu, Datev, Microsoft, Loewe, Pioneer, Deutsche Telekom, United Internet, BASF, Nestle, Procter & Gamble, Kaspersky, LVMH, Sofitel, Dior and many more
For me, live and brand communication is particularly effective when strategy, creativity and implementation are in harmony. After more than 20 years in the industry – both on the agency and corporate side – I know how crucial a holistic view of brand experience is. As a jury member of the BrandEx Awards 2026, I look forward to honouring fresh ideas and bold productions that make brands an authentic experience and connect people.
VITA
Nora Dau is an expert in live communication with over two decades of experience in event and brand staging. As a trained event organiser, she gained extensive experience working for renowned agencies and as a freelancer, where she was responsible for projects for international brands. Since 2016, she has been contributing her expertise as Corporate Event Lead at Covestro on the corporate side – with a deep understanding of the strategic role of events. Her perspective from both worlds – agency and corporation – makes her a differentiated voice on the BrandEx Jury 2026.
The BrandEx Award celebrates what moves me personally: creative excellence, bold ideas and genuine emotion. Events are my great passion – because they touch people, connect them and create experiences that will be remembered for a long time. I am all the more delighted to be part of the jury this year and to honour exceptional projects and the diversity of our industry together with colleagues from the industry. This is a great honour for me and a real affair of the heart.
VITA
Pia Leimke is part of the global business development team at Amex GBT Meetings & Events. With her in-depth expertise in the event sector and her experience in sales & hospitality management, she helps companies to create effective events that inspire people emotionally and bring brands to life. With her passion and creativity for meetings and brand experiences, she not only inspires customers and takes events to the next level, but is also committed to sustainability in the industry.
I am looking forward to great submissions, to extraordinary and above all effective live communication. I am also looking forward to the always exciting and inspiring exchange with the ‘Who’s Who’ of the event industry and ultimately to the ‘VOTING’ for the best submissions – may the most creative ones win!
VITA
Michael Veidt has been working in the field of event conception & event direction for more than 25 years. He is the founder and managing director of the independent creative agency for live communication ‘FEDERFREI’ in Cologne. Prior to this, he studied sports at the German Sport University in Cologne. His path led him via the agency for brand staging ‘Böhr & Roos’, on to the marketing department of FC Schalke 04 including a ‘4-minute championship’, the Bob Bombliz Group (BBDO) and finally to kogag in Solingen, where he worked as Creative Director for 5 years. He is a member of the ADC and works as a lecturer at various universities and is currently Creative Director at ‘Passepartout – Agentur für Events’.
As a freelance show director, I am very fortunate to be able to support a wide variety of projects in the planning, creative and staging process. Every event – whether in real life or streamed – should aim not only to reach people, but to move them. I am driven by the constantly new and the unique: the innovative and unpredictable in the live experience. The invitation to be part of the BrandEx jury fills me with great joy. It is an honour for me to evaluate creative excellence with a trained eye – and at the same time to gain new perspectives and inspiration in a lively exchange with great colleagues. Because for me, real encounters – on stage, backstage and in the jury room – are the true essence of our industry.
VITA
Konstanze Agatz-Kröger has been active in live communication since 1998 and has worked as a freelance director for almost 20 years. After studying International Management and Sinology, she initially worked in product marketing on the corporate side, then switched to communications consultancy and finally to an event agency in Solingen/Berlin. Since then, she has realised over 1,000 projects of various dimensions worldwide – with a focus on showcalling, event direction/show direction, conception and artistic direction. She lives with her husband in Düsseldorf and Berlin. Her passion for culture, theatre, opera and design characterises her work, as does her structured, team-oriented and precise approach to showcalling behind the scenes.
I have not only won BrandEx awards in the past, but have also been a jury member. However, I am not only looking forward to the jury work because of my old ties to the LiveKom industry, but I am also convinced that I can bring a new perspective to the table by switching to the customer side. I’m looking forward to seeing the many creative submissions and am very much looking forward to meeting old companions LIVE again.
VITA
Although I had actually finished my degree in geography, I slipped straight into live communication. The deciding factor was the music I played semi-professionally as a DJ and in a band. After more than 16 years in agencies, the last 11 of which as Creative Director, I wanted above all to look after and shape a brand in the long term. Now I’ve been with CropEnergies AG (a subsidiary of Südzucker) for about 4 years, where I’m mainly responsible for external communication about our products and the transformation of the company.
Being on the jury for the second year in a row naturally has some advantages. The organisational processes are well known and you can focus even more on the content of the submitted projects.
Even last year, it was a particular pleasure for me to discuss, analyse and award the submitted projects with colleagues from various segments of the industry.
The large number of projects to be assessed also gave us an overview of the qualitative development of our industry, which is made transparent by the award winners.
I am excited and curious about this year’s submissions and it is still an honour for me to be on the jury!
VITA
Detlef Wintzen has been developing extraordinary event, trade fair and exhibition concepts for live communication since 1995. With his background in film and theatre production, he creates immersive experiences that inspire customers and visitors.
After working as a creative director, he founded insglück Gesellschaft für Markeninszenierung mbH in 2000, which has developed into a leading agency in Europe. The agency has received over 280 national and international awards for its innovative concepts and successful communication strategies.
Under his leadership, insglück has realised numerous creative events, light installations, corporate exhibitions and EXPO pavilions, including the German Pavilion at EXPO 2017 in Astana, the Kazakhstan Pavilion at EXPO 2021 in Dubai and the German Garden at Floriade Expo 2022 in Almere. He has recently completed the conceptual and creative direction for the realisation of the Kuwait Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka.
Detlef Wintzen favours unconventional ideas and cross-border thinking. He supports artists and art exhibitions on a voluntary basis. His motto: Stay alert, curious, dynamic.
For me, it is of the utmost importance to understand brand architecture and exhibition design as a profound interpretation and further development of an existing corporate design (CI). It is important to me that the design reflects the brand. At the same time, the emotional level must also be right, which is why details such as furniture, materials and colours must also be coherent.
The interaction with the space and the atmosphere it creates should provide visitors with an authentic brand experience – not least through the right balance of functionality, aesthetics and interaction, thereby conveying information about the brand and product. The space should not only stage the product itself, but the brand presentation should also touch people emotionally.
As a jury member, I would like to advocate that these principles form the basis for every project we consider. Exhibition design should be an integral part of brand communication and not just a visual backdrop.
VITA
2011 – 2014: Jung Von Matt/Relations
– Nikon Photokina
– German Pavilion Milan
2014 – 2025: Uniplan GmbH
I started my career as a junior and now hold the position of Design Director.
Some important clients:
Franke: Shortly before my parental leave, I carried out the global re-design of the Franke brand with its sub-brands.
WEY
Vodafone
Haier
Porsche
Covestro
I started my own business in 2021 and have been working as a designer and consultant ever since. For OnYgo and Habitiny, among others.
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