Lukas Wagner
Founder & Developer of ahead x · AI Trainer & Speaker
Founder and developer of ahead x. Works internationally as an AI trainer and speaker, teaches online at Digital Campus.
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About
We make Europe AI-ready.
Mission
ahead is an international platform with a dual mission: in times of digital transformation, when AI-generated content erodes the credibility of information, we make visible whom and which projects deserve trust, and we enable people in the application of new processes. The platform is owned by Shink Big LLC and operated through local event partners in each market, in Austria by M&K Event GmbH. International expansion from 2027.
The ahead x formats
It starts with the city.
ahead x city is the public entry point for everyone who wants to understand and experience AI. From there, direct further ways open up, for teams (labs), industries (mastermind) and the community (skool). Beyond that, ahead x gathers with future, awards and People of ahead x the moments in which the future becomes visible, celebrated and curated.
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ahead x city Core
The public KI evening („ahead x [city]") for the broader population. Low-threshold, accessible. Our strongest format.
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ahead x labs
Full-day workshop formats for teams, beginners or as inhouse format.
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ahead x mastermind
Vertical, industry-specific editions („ahead x law", „ahead x med"). In preparation.
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ahead x skool
Online community on Skool, low-threshold, free, moderated. The open place between events.
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ahead x future
The day-long festival with international speakers. Where, once a year, everything comes together. Premiere 03.02.2027.
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ahead x awards
Regional recognition for visionary AI pioneers, projects and organisations. Premiere 02.02.2027.
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People of ahead x
Supra-regional curatorial selection: „ahead x [topic]", the trust mark for voices with substance.
How we work
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Live, not lecture
AI is shown, not explained on slides. Demos before theory.
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Honest about limits
We say what AI cannot do. Where it fails, where it lies, where it costs.
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Scaled but local
One platform across Europe, but every edition has local hosts, local partners, local language.
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No hype, no panic
Calibrated optimism. The future is decided by the people in the room, not by the hype cycle.
On stage
Three roles, one evening.
An ahead x city event works because the roles are clearly distributed, no one person carries everything alone.
01
Speaker & experts
External practitioners, researchers and AI specialists who bring their specific expertise live to the stage. Curated, not bought.
02
Hosts, moderation & curation
Local hosts guide through the evening, moderate the Q&A and ensure the format stays accessible. They know the room and the audience.
03
Founder, team & format responsibility
ahead founder Lukas Wagner and the core team ensure quality, curation and format consistency across every city. Content leadership, not performance.
External speakers on this edition
On stage
External speakers contribute to ahead editions in their own right. They are not employees or staff of the ahead format, see their personal sites for their own businesses.
Founder
Lukas Wagner
Lukas Wagner is the founder and original developer of ahead x. The idea for the format emerged in 2024 in exchange with Sebastian Klein. Today, Wagner advises M&K Event GmbH on developing event formats that make complex future topics understandable and can be delivered sustainably and successfully.
Full profileWhere we have arrived so far
- Past events
- 9
- Cities with formats
- 8
- Participants
- 1 702
- Public partners
- 9
As of: 30 April 2026
Timeline
Where ahead has been.
9 events completed, 9 ahead. Across 1 country.
Coming up
2026
- Sept 2026 ahead x city
Vorarlberg ·
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Götzis · Vorarlberg
- Oct 2026 ahead x concert
Götzis · Vorarlberg
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Bregenz · Vorarlberg
- Oct 2026 ahead x labs
Bregenz · Vorarlberg
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Tiroler Unterland ·
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Tiroler Unterland / Oberland ·
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Innsbruck · Tirol
- Oct 2026 ahead x city
Innsbruck ·
Already happened
2026
- Apr 2026 Graz Steiermark ahead x city
- Apr 2026 Klagenfurt Kärnten ahead x city
- Apr 2026 Innsbruck Tirol ahead x city
- Mar 2026 Dornbirn Vorarlberg ahead x labs
- Mar 2026 Hard Vorarlberg ahead x city
- Mar 2026 Götzis Vorarlberg ahead x city
- Mar 2026 Feldkirch Vorarlberg ahead x city
- Mar 2026 Bludenz Vorarlberg ahead x city
Get in touch
Want ahead in your city?
Tell us where, and we will look at when. Or apply as a partner if you want to make an edition possible.