From zero to 1,000 visitors and the world’s largest market data industry event.

Back in the 1990s, following initial meetings around CeBIT computer trade fair in Hanover, the German financial information industry met at the European Banking and Insurance Fair (EBIF) in Frankfurt am Main. With over 100 exhibitors, EBIF was a central trade fair for information providers, as well as an important industry meeting point for providers of payment and lending solutions. However, the financial crisis, triggered by the insolvency of the US investment bank Lehman Brothers, marked the end of EBIF after 11 years.

Susanne Fröhlich, back then Head of Market Data at Allianz, and I saw this as an opportunity to bring the target group of information providers to our home city of Munich. We were able to convince Kees Brooimans from the Dutch company Screen Consultants of our idea. Kees had already established successful annual events in Amsterdam and Stockholm, and Screen Consultants had a broad portfolio of sponsors, primarily vendors offering market data solutions. Allianz, in turn, was one of the largest customers of these vendors.

While Screen Consultants and Allianz had valuable relationships in the vendor landscape, I brought a strong network of information product clients, particularly in the German-speaking financial industry and in Munich itself. As I would have been unable to establish a large event in Frankfurt, we focused on the D-A-CH region and positioned Munich as its focal point, only four hours by train from Frankfurt, Vienna, and Zurich.

In 2011, the first D-A-CH Congress for Financial Information took place at the Hotel Bayerpost Sofitel in Munich, where we already welcomed over 500 trade visitors to the premiere. Over the years, the event has grown to up to 1,000 participants, making it the largest industry event in the world. By comparison, the North American Financial Information Summit in New York attracts around 500 visitors, and the Asian Pacific Financial Information Summit in Hong Kong hosts around 450 guests.

Over time, the circle of organizers has changed. For strategic reasons, Allianz decided not to continue as a co-organizer, as insurance companies are subject to strict regulatory requirements for activities outside their core business. At the same time, Screen Consultants was acquired by US-based TRG Group. TRG Screen is now the global market leader in vendor license management in the financial sector but strategically has withdrawn from the consulting business.

A particular stroke of luck was the connection to Sybilla Hanssen, which I owe to Susanne Fröhlich. Sybilla and her team are responsible for DKF’s remarkable success. Her father was managing director of Reuters in the 1980s; by far, the largest provider of market data at the time.

Despite the changes, many key players remain closely associated with DKF. Gosia Dyda-Marino and Hardik Bhandari (both from financial.com), Anja Hohenacker and Ronald Damen (both from TRG Screen) and Evert-Jan ten Brundel (formerly TRG Screen) are the constants behind the event.

The success of DKF in Munich has since led to the creation of satellite events. Ronald Damen played a major role in building DKF in Amsterdam – his hometown – and Evert-Jan ten Brundel was instrumental in founding DKF Stockholm. DKF Vienna was also held for the first time last year (2024). Additional events are planned for Luxembourg and Paris. A long-term goal of our team is to establish an event in New York, the hometown of TRG Screen.