Vienna 2025: The Digistore24 Team in the City of Music

“In order to win, we need to be focused, and we need to keep our culture of performance.” Sven Platte, Founder, Digistore24.

Peak Party to Match Peak Results…

For a company famous for its parties, this might have been the biggest get together yet.

A four-day global meet up in and around the Austrian capital saw hundreds of Digistore24 employees from Europe, the US and a dozen other hotspots around the planet get together to mingle and dazzle.

They would share stages, hot mics, dancefloors, dinner tables, coach rides to mystery locations, and plenty of meals and drinks around tables both high and low.

The co-founders joined in on this celebration to show their own commitment to the good times. As underscored by Francis Wolff, CEO of Digistore24 USA in a short but emphatic speech, all those great experiences were not coming out of the blue: they were the product of — and the affirmation of — a great performance since Digistore24 was founded.

Boat rides on the Danube, mountain retreats, vineyard parties and a feast in a 19th century wooden dining hall were all part of the mix. The incredible imperial capital played backdrop and showed off its best. In other words, what went down in Vienna ‘25 was an experience as loaded with extravagant surprises as it was with carefully curated moments to take pause and appreciate the beauty.

Probably most of the Digistore24 “class of 25” would agree: it was a whole order of fun above what most companies would call a yearly party.

The only problem for most of us during it?

Staying cool.

Day 1 (25 June): First Vibes

With much of the staff staying together in the Hotel Motel One near Vienna’s Hauptbanhof, it was a sweaty struggle to get to the front desk and register for the mega gathering. With a Digistore24 wristband in place, drinks from coffee to cocktails at the bar were complimentary through the whole 4-day experience.

That and full-on breakfast buffets each morning were just the start of the lavish tables throughout. For anyone newly onboard, it made it clear that this is a company that takes get-togethers, and food and drink, very seriously indeed.

The first evening: in nearby Vapiano for pasta, bites and wine. For many it was a first time to meet new colleagues; also a first in-person meeting with Francis, and new US Director of Marketing, Julianne Martin.

New hires from Ireland, Serbia, Canada, Romania and beyond joined veterans. In company that is constantly evolving (including into online mentoring and education), staying in the information loop is essential.

Morale and the rapport you only get from talking face-to-face followed. 

“The Human Touch” in action.

An easygoing start and a contrast to what would follow.

Day 2 (26 June) : A Festival in the Vines

On Thursday, 26 June, all team members were picked up by bus to attend a mystery location. As the buses made their way through ring roads and past power plants and finally into farmland, it was clear that this would not be an urban setting.

On the way, each of us discovered an ice breaking game was built into the journey: given a sweatband bracelet with a country flag and a name, at the upcoming party it would be our job to find the “owner” and give them their bracelet.

Headhonchos Sven Platte and Francis Wolff had their bands sorted too.

The sweatproof gear was a clue for what followed: a day-long “Festival” in a gorgeous garden and chalet venue, Franz Von Grün, which often hosts weddings.

Easy to see why: with green grapevines shimmering all around, the intimate garden was extra hot and extra populous that day, but kept much of its serenity.  A marquee, stage and multiple miniature zones for chilling out and chatting. And playing games!

A Summer Picnic

A strength testing hammer and bell. A little shooting gallery. Ping pong and beach tennis.

Anyone feeling the heat could cool their heels in a paddling pool or duel it out in a water fight.

Almost from the start: karaoke rounds on the main stage, where later we’d see a full DJ set by Georgia Mafia. The breakfast and prosecco welcomed the team to kick off the event, and the smell of grilling from an outdoor kitchen gave a hint of the feast to follow. When the bell finally went for lunch, a heaving set of dishes landed.

BBQ steak, inevitable piles of sausage (including undeniably heavy Viennese favorite Käsekrainer) and trout paired with cool salads, all ideal for summer. Grilling flavors continued to fill the air.

After the meal, more dancing, more music, lots of laughter. Buses back to the Hauptbanhof after dark, with time to spare for nightcaps for those with energy to spare. Nothing short of a 1-day festival: an incredible introduction to how Digistore24 likes to throw parties.

Day 3 (27 June): Intense Team Building and “Extreme Ownership,” Exploring Vienna, The Big Party

“Our strategy essentially is, ‘More Sales, Less Work.’ That is our decision framework, and based on this, we decide about little things.” Sven Platte

For a Friday morning of team building, Digistore24 teammates followed directions (partly signposted with chalk arrows in the street) to a hotel near the base. A speech by Sven outlined the Digistore24 “culture of performance,” which he sees as evolving into a culture of decentralized command and “Extreme Ownership” by all involved.

Sven sketched out a portrait of the current marketplace, including figures, and delved into a vision of taking the global lead position in Affiliate Marketing.

Guest presenter Niklas Guggenberger guided everyone through two more phases: his own breakdown of Decentralized Command and related ideas, and a panel discussion with Co-founders Sven and Francis.

The concept of “AntiFragility” came up here, expressing how the executives at Digistore24 want to build a strong ability to respond to complexity and stress into the company ethos.

The final word from Niklas: in an increasingly complex world, strive to “Command yourself.” A company filled with individuals capable of that attitude should be agile and “antifragile.”

A Lego Sprint Build

Following this, all attendees were separated into mini-teams, and a lego building marathon followed. Directed to build silently, teams were asked to create forms following loose guidance. The little multicolored follies were built to a count down, added to and eventually finalized. Co-constructing with no plan proved both tricky and fun.

It then became the job for a spokesperson from each team to get up on stage and explain what they’d built: many rocket ships, and many “Number 1s” had materialized to express the company’s momentum and destiny to ascend in the market.

With speeches getting laughs, it was a moment to show off improv and presentation skills.

The rest of the day was for each of us to explore: from the gardens and museums to the huge avenues of the center, Vienna offered an endless array of experiences for anyone hardy enough to venture into the warmth of the afternoon.

Taking Over the Palace

Finally, it was time for the Big One. In time for a bus collection in the evening, we had been given the instruction: wear your national costumes.

Collecting outside the hotel were Polish, German, Mexican and Hungarian dresses and festive gilets and suits, real lederhosen… and some creative comedic efforts by French (baguette and beret) and Irish colleagues (a bag of potatoes?). Sublime European pastel dresses were joined by American line-dancing cowboy boots and gingham. 

No one was quite prepared for where we would be taken: the Italian-style palazzo known as the Palais Ferstel, created to house the stock market and national bank in the 1850s, now accessible via a glimmering white marble arcade called the Ferstel Passage. 

A welcoming drink in a tiled lobby, then a grand entrance into the dining and dancing space: high ceilings, golden light and full table settings. For the impression created by entering the space alone, architect Heinrich Freiherr von Ferstel obviously did a great job! (That and the building’s stunning condition after 175 years).

For his pre-dinner speech CEO Francis Wolff crafted a short sketch of how far Digistore24 USA had come since its founding in 2018 after he met with original German founder (in 2012) Sven Platte. In daily sales, in yearly turnover and company team size, a huge distance had been travelled to lead to now. This lavish event was therefore a culmination and an expression of that success and hard work, from teams in Europe and the USA and beyond.

Waltzes and Conga Lines

The evening was just getting started. After a dinner service focused on Viennese veal and other plates matching the setting, the first show kicked off. Ballroom dancers waltzed into the space in pairs, flowing into the main dance floor and eventually unpairing to reach out and lift guests from their own seats to dance. 

No idea what to do? No problem, the dancers coaxed you into the right steps, mostly with success.

The endgame for the night was a stunning covers band which took over the stage with what seemed like hundreds of pop classics turned out in pitch-perfect versions.  The wooden floors of the Palais would be stress tested by huge amounts of dancing, including a conga line that nearly walked itself out the front door and back out into the Passage. 

Cocktails and shots at the rear of the hall kept flowing from swift-moving, ever-professional staff. And after over 175 years of feasts and money counting, the Palais Ferstel survived. So did we.

Not long after midnight, with impeccable timing, the buses reappeared to get everyone back safely. A work party like absolutely no other!

Day 4 (28 June) Surprise Retreats: Sales and Marketing Teams Explore Mountain and River, Light Shows and Vienna Streets.

“In a remote-forward workplace, culture doesn’t happen by accident and it’s something that I create with intention. Our summer camp–themed retreat in Vienna was designed to spark connection through physical play, friendly competition, time in nature, creativity, and teamwork-building activities. Those in-person moments fuel a culture that thrives year-round.” — Lenée Gill, Head of Sales

Some Digistore24 teammates went home after the big party, while others stayed on to bond closer with their own immediate teams. With a thousand things to do, many of us felt spoiled by our colleague’s dedication to finding another layer of stimulation and adventure.

For the Sales team, Lenée Gill found the incredible mountain center Schwarzenbach an der Pielach, where she convened a themed-day of American-style Summer Camp activities and plenty of outdoor whimsy, including a tug-of-war.

The slick, personalized t-shirts complete with melting marshmallows were sure to be treasured. The only question: how did they ever persuade them to come back down from somewhere so pretty?

Floating and Mountaineering

In the marketing world, meanwhile, our weekend kicks were more urban, yet no less aesthetic. On Saturday eve the team met in an Italian eatery for excellent pizza, then decamped to a River cruise down the Danube. Lasting hours, providing the perfect moment for deeper chats, this was a moment when many team members felt comradeship and friendship with colleagues grow.

It might have been the inspiration too for the final hangout the next day: swimming and sunbathing on one of the artificial beaches lining the river.

That night, guided by Events head Destineé Gomez, the team were swept from a rooftop bar to a blazing light show in a church. Appropriately, all this high culture could only end one way: with a kebab. True to the weekend overall, Vienna did not disappoint here either.

Outro - The Priceless In-Person Factor

For a company known for its Human Touch, this was a vital chance for many teams and Digistore24 employees to get to know each other in person, in the City of Music. As the feedback collected from some of the hundreds of attendees shows (see some highlights below) there was appreciation for the detailed planning and care shown by the company for its people across this whole trip.

The variety of experiences and the warmth of the hospitality were all framing for the heart of the matter: the chance to shrink distances in a company of distributed teams.

To get to know everyone better in order to mesh thinking, fuse forces and continue to win.

The motto of the moment at Digistore24, The Human Touch, refers to several things: from the priority of keeping human engagement in a period of AI automation, to how the company treats people at every step and stage of the user journey. The ever-diversifying technology and tools in our industry should be watched with tireless focus, but not cause us to lose sight of the power of the Human Touch in everything. That truth is proving ever more solid as we carry on.

The meeting in Vienna in June 2025 was one massive milestone in a journey that is ongoing.

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