The evening before: JTL PreConnect
We were able to welcome many familiar faces to JTL PreConnect the evening before. A colorful mix of online retailers, partners and JTL employees ensured a relaxed start to the 2024 trade fair. 
In conversations, some people wondered what the first keynote would be like without Thomas Lisson and how the new JTL management team would lead us through the day at the trade fair. Others were simply looking forward to a personal reunion with lots of great people. After currywurst 🌭 and a Kölsch or two, it was off to the hotel to get fit for the long day at the trade fair.
The JTL Connect 2024
With over 2,000 visitors and 70 exhibitors, including many partner companies, JTL Connect set a new record this year. As Sebastian Evers estimated in his keynote speech, e-commerce in Germany has probably overcome the low caused by the energy crisis and is slowly returning to growth. In general, we found the keynote speech by the new CEO Sebastian Evers very informative and varied. Not only the general overview for the German online trade, but also the visions and, above all, the acquisitions of the JTL Group were addressed. The introduction of the new family members CountX, Greyhound and Jera was also included. The respective managing directors presented themselves and the new possibilities of their products and all of them did not miss the opportunity to visit the WebStollen Lounge later on 🎉
In the following presentation by CTO Wolfgang Hilpert, the changes in software development currently being introduced at JTL were described very clearly and impressively. Filtering out potential errors through machine and personal test scenarios long before the go-live is the major goal of JTL Software in order to increase quality and reduce costs through rework. The CTO also gave an outlook on new products in the JTL family that are currently under development.
Der Onlinehändler
As already announced in advance, the print magazine “Der Onlinehändler” was also available to trade fair visitors. Among other things, the magazine contains a very exciting interview with CEO Sebastian Evers, lots of information and scientific data on German online retail, as well as a variety of tips and tricks on SEO, performance and much more for online retailers. All copies were already sold out by midday, so we were unable to bring a few more magazines to the after-show party on the ship as planned. But stay tuned – we will make the magazine available to everyone soon! 
WebStollen Payment Team supports Mollie
When we started working with Mollie 6 years ago, we had no idea how big our joint success would be. Mollie was not only one of the main sponsors of JTL Connect, but can also be proud of the many customers who use Mollie and the WebStollen plugin on a daily basis to generate sales. In the meantime, there is not only the connection to the JTL Shop, but also the direct connection to the JTL Wawi. Another milestone in the success story of Mollie and the JTL software world. It therefore made sense for us to support our colleagues at the Mollie stand with our payment team in order to be able to help directly with technical questions. 
The WebStollen Lounge
As with every Connect, the AfterShow Party was the absolute highlight. This year, the trade fair visitors met on the newer and larger ship MS RheinMagie. We were able to welcome our guests in the exclusive WebStollen Lounge in a wonderful atmosphere. We set up a photo wall in the entrance area of the WebStollen Lounge. Our experienced photographer Erik perfectly staged some of our guests there. 
What an event!
Once again we had 3 wonderful, exhausting, pleasant, inspiring and beautiful days in Cologne for this year’s JTL Connect. A huge thank you goes out to the JTL-Software team, our partners, all our customers and of course to our entire team for the strong support, the support, the discussions and sometimes just for being there for each other.
We are already looking forward to JTL Connect 2026 😎
Your team on site: Erik, Florian, Alexander, Florian, Michael, Johannes
