Congress of Controllers: Meeting place for thought leaders in controlling

Since 1976, the Congress of Controllers, founded by Dr. Albrecht Deyhle, has been the ICV flagship event and much more than just a specialist conference. It is a stage for innovation, a bridge between theory and practice and a focal point for current challenges in controlling. What once began with around 100 participants has developed over the decades into the annual Central European meeting place for the controlling community – with up to 600 specialists and managers from companies, academia and consulting on site in Munich.

The current Congress of Controllers

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“The Congress of Controllers is an annual fixture for me to find out about current developments in controlling practice, to be inspired by interesting speakers and to meet many acquaintances and friends.”

FH-Professor Dipl. Ing. Dr. Heimo Losbichler, Dean, Head of the Controlling, Accounting and Financial Management degree program

“For me, the Congress of Controllers is a meeting place where people from the controlling sector can come together, expand networks, exchange ideas and learn from each other.”

Christina Keindorf, Head of Group Controlling, Deutsche Bahn AG

“For me, the Congress of Controllers is the most important controlling event of the year, THE family get-together of the controlling community and a hotspot for new controlling ideas and concepts.”

Conrad Günther, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Controller Magazin, 1990 to 2015 ICV Managing Director

“For me, the Congress of Controllers is my annual highlight of ICV events. It feels like a big family reunion of the ICV community, with new people joining every year. An excellent opportunity to make personal contacts.”

Stephanie Wirth, ICV Office

Stations: From a tranquil meeting to the annual highlight of the controlling scene

The first congress for controllers – also in Germany

From the very beginning, it has been visionary speakers and members of the Controller Association who have set the tone together. At the first Controller Congress in 1976 (not only of the association, but in Germany in general), the topic was “Current tasks and position of the controller in corporate practice”.

Péter Horváth was there from the start

One of the participants in 1976 was Prof. Dr. Péter Horváth (pictured with Siegfried Gänßlen), holder of the first Chair of Controlling in Germany (TU Darmstadt). He was one of the first scientists in Germany to understand controlling as an independent field and to systematically develop scientifically sound concepts. His standard work “Controlling” was first published in 1979 and is still a classic of controlling literature today – published many times and widely used in training. He coined the term “goal-oriented management concept”, in which controlling not only provides figures, but also contributes to the management of the company. He remained closely associated with the ICV until his death.

Corona pandemic: online instead of face-to-face meetings

The 45th Congress of Controllers on April 27, 2020 was set to write another chapter in the history of the Congress. However, the extraordinary developments of the year surrounding the coronavirus pandemic meant that the in-person event had to be completely canceled for the first time. It was postponed to 2021 and held online due to the ongoing uncertainties. For the ICV as organizer, this meant an unprecedented break in the long history of the congress.

The Congress of Controllers is a complete package

Today, the Congress of Controllers is no longer a specialist congress in the usual sense. It is the annual meeting of the controlling community, for many like a family reunion that they look forward to all year round. You meet colleagues from all generations, sectors and countries, as well as thought leaders and initiators from the world of corporate management directly and live on site and can exchange ideas – in the context of specialist discussions or simply in a relaxed atmosphere over a coffee, a meal or at the legendary Controllers Biergarten with live music and plenty of time and leisure to exchange ideas with old acquaintances and make new contacts.