At the annual MELT Innovation Forum at the Creative Hub, 30 inspiring speakers will perform and around 30 innovative products and services will be on display in the exhibition area. Some 300 participants are expected to contribute their ideas and find new ways of working together.

"Due to the strong interest from businesses to participate in the Forum's exhibition area, we had to make a selection. This time you can see businesses whose products and services can be easily experienced on the spot - the exhibits can be tested, touched and even tasted," explained Joosep Vimm, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn. "A lot of attention this year will be on food of the future. For example, Estonian entrepreneurs are working with scientists to develop alternatives to meat from mycorrhizal biomass, or fungal biomass. It is possible to explore how the digitalisation of edible insect breeding technology works. Discover sleds with wheels, smart home solutions, tailor-made wallpapers and many other exciting solutions," added Vimm.

This year's keynote speaker is Patrick van der Pijl from the Netherlands, a renowned inspirational speaker and innovation strategist. He has appeared at conferences over 500 times in more than 30 countries, and has advised several global companies on innovation strategy. Van der Pijl is the author of the best-selling book Business Model Generation, which has sold over four million copies in 37 languages.

The Forum's panels will discuss which business models are here to stay and which ones are going to change. The various theme sections explore how entrepreneurs are managing in the midst of new challenges, who is working in savings mode, who found help in digitalisation and who learned to use resources more efficiently. We will also talk about where all the money has gone in the world, or how to still attract investment in the face of changing times. With the help of moderator Johannes Tralla, an answer will be sought to the question of where the international opportunities for Estonian companies actually lie and what our advantages are over the rest of the world.

The forum will be followed by a lively networking event for conference visitors.

The MELT Innovation Forum is organised in cooperation with City Enterprise Centre, Tallinn Creative Incubator and Science and Business Park Tehnopol. Find out more about the programme and buy your €60 ticket at https://melt.ee/.

Photos from last year's event can be found at https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1A2OmoDOrOER4uqoqBqFTNtRE13GXnIuJ?usp=sharing.