First edition of WOOP in 2019; Credit: WOOP

The second edition of the WOOP conference on business and technology in Luxembourg will take place on Tuesday 17 March 2020 at the Maison du Savoir on the University of Luxembourg's Belval Campus.

Organised by InTech and Win-Win, WOOP will be moderated once again by Audrey Pulvar, and this second edition promises to be even more interactive and original: think battles, oratory jousting, a public vote and performances. This year's speakers and panelists will address the transformations affecting society today, from climatic upheavals to technological accelerations, exploring the theme "Change & Act".

The "battles" element from the first edition will return as a channel for the deconstruction of received ideas, this year accompanied by the new "oratory games" format. In three rounds, each of the three speakers will offer their plea to the "devil's lawyer", leaving him/her to dismantle and/or challenge them. Adding to its disruptive and reactive nature, this edition of WOOP introduces several other new features, such as “half full or half empty” confrontations which will see an expert who embodies a reassuring and optimistic vision confronting another representing a certain radicalism and a pessimistic reading of the subject. 

Indeed, the public will have a new role during this second edition. Thanks in particular to interactive bracelets, audience members will be able to vote and have the last word during dynamic round tables, which are designed to bring out both cultural and political agreement and disagreement.

Regarding the topics to be addressed, five major themes will punctuate the second edition of WOOP: Trust, Management, Health, Smart City and Space. Different formats and speakers will shed light and encourage debate on each of these topics. Among the first confirmed speakers are the TechTrash duo composed of Lauren Boudard and Dan Geiselhart, Gilles Babinet, digital entrepreneur and representative of France to the European Commission on the subjects of digital inclusion and education, Grégoire Kopp from OVH, Franck Tapiro and Danièle Linhart, among others.

The full list of confirmed panelists to date (subject to change) is available on the website www.woop-events.com.