Dear Participants in the OR 2017 Conference,

Welcome to Berlin for this prestigious scientific conference in the field of operations research! We are delighted that so many international experts from all over the world have come to Germany’s capital city to discuss and exchange expertise on this year’s special focus, “Decision Analytics for the Digital Economy.”

You are meeting in a city that is well on the way to becoming a high-tech capital. That goes hand in hand with our ambition to make greater use of the opportunities digitalization offers. Berlin has enormous potential in this area, thanks to a concentration of scientific and academic institutions that is unique in Europe, the digital economy’s countless startups, and the growing number of established industrial companies working in close concert with universities and the startup scene. As a result, I am confident that Berlin is the ideal setting for an inspiring conference in your field. In addition, the city itself provides inspiration with its wealth of cultural offerings. Anyone attending a conference in Berlin should take advantage of the opportunity to visit one of our many museums, theaters, or concert halls. Another good idea would be to take a stroll through one of our trendy neighborhoods and enjoy the relaxed attitude towards life of our vibrant metropolis.

With all this in mind, I would like to welcome you to Berlin once again and wish you a productive conference and a very pleasant stay that you will long remember.

My thanks go to the German Operations Research Society and the Department of Information Systems in the School of Business & Economics at Freie Universität Berlin for hosting and organizing this important conference.

Sincerely,

Michael Müller
(Governing Mayor of of Berlin)