Venue Address & Location
Both days of the in-person event will take place at Merck KGaA Headquarters
Address: Merck, Frankfurter Strasse 250, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
Travel - To / From Merck Group headquarters, Darmstadt
For additional information, please visit Merck Group’s travel page
🚕 Taxi | Uber | taxi.eu | FreeNow 🚗
⬇️ Download the Travel Guide for travelling by car or taxi
Whether you are travelling from the North, South, or directly from Darmstadt City Centre, you can easily get to Merck Group HQ.
Fee: €60–€80 one way / 20-30 Mins
See journey: Taxi / By Car Google Maps
Direction: 25-27km
🚄 Public Transport 🚌
⬇️ Download the Travel Guide for travelling by public transport
If using long-distance rail connections, you will arrive at the Central Railway Station (“Hauptbahnhof”) in Darmstadt (rail timetables at www.bahn.de).
🚋 By tram: When you arrive at the Central Railway Station, take tram no. 3 or 5 to Willy Brandt Platz. Then, change to tram no. 6, 7 or 8 towards Arheilgen and exit at the tram station “Merck”
🚎By bus: Take the “R” bus line towards Arheilgen and exit at the “Nordbahnhof” bus stop. Then, walk to the right, over the railway bridge, and walk approximately 500 m to the Merck Innovation Center.
🚉 By train: Visitors arriving at the central railway station in Darmstadt (“Hauptbahnhof”) can reach the “Nordbahnhof” railway station by changing to a connecting train traveling to Dieburg-Aschaffenburg or Erbach in the Odenwald. Exit the “Nordbahnhof” railway station and walk to the right, over the railway bridge, and walk approximately 500 m to the Merck Innovation Center.
Hotels & Accommodation
DORMERO Hotel Darmstadt
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Distance from Venue: 9-10 min walk
0.7 km miles from Merck Group
View Website and Reserve a room
Address: Frankfurter Straße 99, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
☎️ +49 6151 96133
Hotel Jungstil
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Distance from Venue: 10-12 Min Walk
0.9 km miles from Merck Group
View Website and Reserve a room
Address: Frankfurter Str. 77, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
☎️ +49 6151 971000
Welcome Hotel Darmstadt City Centre
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Distance from Venue: 35-40 Min Walk
3 km miles from Merck Group
View Website and Reserve a room
Address: Karolinenplatz 4, 64289 Darmstadt, Germany
☎️ +49 6151 3914-0
Schedule - Times below are CEST
Wednesday 8th July 2026 | 12:00 - 19:30
12:00 - 12:15 | Arrival Reception & Welcome
12:15 - 13:15 | Session 1 - Keynote: Leading Through Uncertainty: Leadership in the AI Era
13:15 - 14:30 | Session 2 - Panel: Agentic HR: The Operating Model CHROs Need for 2026
14:45 - 16:00 | Session 3 - Panel: AI Coaching at Scale: The Fastest Path to Better Managers
16:15 - 18:00 | Session 4 - Exclusive Tour: 357 Years in the Making: Inside the Company That Keeps Reinventing Itself
18:00 - 19:30 | Three-Course Dinner, Networking & Evening Drinks: Hosted at Merck Group
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Thursday 9th July 2026 | 08:00 - 17:00
08:00 - 08:40 | Registration, Reception & Welcome
08:40 - 09:20 | Session 1 - Fireside Chat: The CIO × CHRO Alliance: The Work Tech Blueprint for 2026
09:20 - 10:00 | Session 2 - Fireside Chat: AI Coaching as Infrastructure: The New Standard for Manager Excellence
10:15 - 11:30 | Session 3 - Panel: The New Employment Deal: Rebuilding Trust, Motivation and Culture in the AI Era
11:45 - 13:00 | Session 4 - Panel: Skills as the Operating System: Making Capability Visible and Actionable
13:00 - 14:00 | Lunch
14:00 - 15:15 | Session 5 - Panel: Rebuilding Leadership for 2026: Managers as the Execution System
15:30 - 16:45 | Session 6 - Panel: The Talent Reset: Building the Human–AI Talent System for 2026 and Beyond
16:45 - 17:15 | Wrap Up and Closing Remarks & Networking Drinks
Food & Drink
Breakfast, lunch and snacks will be provided throughout the course of the roundtable
Assistance
We are really looking forward to you joining us for an inspiring two days of learning and conversations.
Should you require any additional information or assistance, please contact
Lisa Ryzhykova at Lisa@hrleaders.co or
James Elwell at James@hrleaders.co
Dress Code
Smart Casual / Business Casual.
We promote everyone’s individuality.