The event was hosted by TV9 News Network, by far India’s largest and widest-reaching news media company, with VfB Stuttgart acting as co-initiators and co-hosts, and the state of Baden-Württemberg supporting the summit. Top Indian and German decision-makers from business, science, politics and sport discussed issues such as artificial intelligence, the green energy transition and the role of sport in building bridges between the nations, all under this year’s motto of ‘India and Germany – a roadmap for sustainable growth’.
“The premiere of the TV9 Global Summit German Edition in our MHP Arena was a success across the board,” said Rouven Kasper, Chief Marketing and Sales Officer at VfB Stuttgart. “International networking at the highest level as well as top-class speakers made it a unique event, with three days that were dedicated to intercultural and economic exchange between Germany and India. This summit demonstrated the many levels on which strong and long-lasting partnerships exist between our countries, and how sustainable growth is actively and innovatively shaped within the framework of this collaboration for our economic region.”
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the summit via a live broadcast, while Ashwini Vaishnaw, India’s Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and Information Technology, as well as Jyotiraditya Scindia, Minister of Communications and Development, were in attendance in Stuttgart, accompanied by a delegation of top decision-makers from major Indian companies. Cem Özdemir, Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture and Federal Minister of Education and Research, Baden-Württemberg’s Minister-President Winfried Kretschmann, Lord Mayor of Stuttgart Dr. Frank Nopper, and retired Minister-President and EU Commissioner Günther H. Oettinger all underlined India’s key role in the German economy, and reserved special mention for Baden-Württemberg and the Stuttgart region as an economic and innovation hub.
Minister-President Kretschmann said: “India and Baden-Württemberg are close partners on an economic, cultural and personal level. We’re united by a strong innovational spirit. We want to expand this partnership further and tackle the important issues of the future together, including artificial intelligence, renewable energies and securing skilled personnel. That’s why it’s an honour for us as a state government that Stuttgart was chosen as the venue for the Global Summit. We’re looking forward to welcoming you back here in 2025.”
As part of the summit, which was also supported by the German Football League and German Football Association, Indian football club Sudeva Delhi FC and VfB Stuttgart also announced a two-year partnership, which will focus primarily on the conceptual development of youth football. Sudeva Delhi FC uses a grassroots model to promote football among children and young people in the Delhi area. The TV9 Global Summit was rounded off with a visit to the Bundesliga home match against VfL Bochum on Saturday, which VfB won 2-0.
“VfB Stuttgart was delighted to co-host the TV9 Global Summit German Edition and we’re already looking forward to picking up where we left off at the MHP Arena in 2025,” added Kasper. “This is a very strong, important statement for Baden-Württemberg’s economy, for which this exchange with India will form a key pillar in the coming years. It’s widely known that VfB Stuttgart sees itself not only as a football club but as the engine of our living and economic space, which we want to support as best we can across relevant international markets with economic summits and networking platforms such as these. We’d like to thank everyone who made this summit happen.”