On 22 and 23 October, Kommunale in Nuremberg — Germany’s leading trade fair for the municipal sector — focused on the future of public administration. Our stand in Hall 9 became a lively meeting point for decision-makers from municipalities and critical infrastructure organisations looking for practical answers to the challenges of digital transformation.
The many in-depth conversations and the positive feedback we received confirmed one thing clearly: digital solutions are playing an increasingly important role in making public services more secure, efficient, and citizen-friendly.
Key Challenges in Digital Public Administration
The discussions at our stand reflected many of the topics raised throughout the trade fair. Municipalities and operators of critical infrastructure are currently dealing with several urgent questions:
- Security and compliance are top priorities: How can organisations improve physical security while meeting increasingly stringent compliance requirements, including laws on critical infrastructure, GDPR, and NIS2? Many discussions focused on the move away from paper-based processes towards digital, audit-proof records for access and visitor management.
- Greater efficiency and relief for staff: With limited resources, many public administrations are looking for ways to automate routine tasks. Reception and citizen service teams can spend a great deal of time on registration, forwarding visitors, or answering standard questions. Digital processes can help free up staff to handle more complex enquiries and personal support.
- Modern citizen services in the digital age: Expectations of public services are rising. Citizens want services that are easy to access, efficient, and available when needed. Municipalities are therefore looking for ways to reduce service bottlenecks while also meeting accessibility requirements, including those set out in the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG).
Answers to Key Questions at the friendlyway Stand
At our stand, visitors could experience concrete solutions designed for exactly these challenges. Our integrated platform of robust hardware and intelligent software showed how digital transformation can work in everyday public-sector environments.
Security Under Control: Visitor Management for Critical Infrastructure
One of the main highlights was our Empire 22 Pro kiosk. This highly robust solution is designed for security-sensitive environments and was presented together with our friendlyway Visitor Management software.
The demo showed a fully digital visitor management process for critical infrastructure settings: from secure self-check-in and digital safety instructions to automatic badge printing and complete documentation of every step.
The option to integrate the system into existing access control environments attracted particular interest from visitors.
Rethinking Citizen Services: The AI Service Assistant
On our elegant Impress 43 kiosk, visitors could try out our AI Service Assistant. The demo showed how modern citizen services can become more accessible and easier to use.
Available around the clock, the assistant can answer frequently asked questions in up to 196 languages, guide visitors digitally, and reduce service teams’ workload. It can also support municipalities in creating more accessible service offers in line with current requirements.
Efficiency at the Touchpoint: Compact Self-Check-in Kiosks
Our compact Counter 12 and Counter 22 kiosks demonstrated how simple and efficient self-check-in can be. They are ideal for pre-registered visitors and employee self-service and can noticeably reduce the workload at reception desks and service points.
Stand Highlights and Visitor Conversations
The atmosphere at our stand was shaped by strong interest and open, detailed conversations. The live demos of visitor management features for security-sensitive environments attracted many visitors, as did the interaction with our AI Service Assistant.
The feedback was consistently positive. Many decision-makers were particularly interested in the close connection between hardware and software, as well as our full-service approach — from consulting and implementation through to ongoing support.
The conversations confirmed that municipalities are looking for well-designed, secure, and user-friendly complete solutions rather than isolated tools.
Key Takeaways from Kommunale 2025
Two days at Kommunale gave us valuable insights and confirmed several important trends:
- Security and compliance are non-negotiable: Digital processes for access control and visitor management are becoming a top priority, especially in security-sensitive environments.
- Data protection is a core requirement: GDPR compliance and secure data hosting, including server location, remain decisive factors for the public sector.
- AI offers real potential for citizen services: There is growing interest in AI-supported self-service solutions that improve service quality and help teams work more efficiently.
- Integrated solutions are in demand: Municipalities are looking for platforms that bring several processes together and fit smoothly into existing IT environments.
Missed Kommunale? The Conversation Continues
Couldn’t make it to Nuremberg, or would you like to continue a conversation from the trade fair? You can explore our solutions for municipal companies and critical infrastructure operators online, or book a personal demo with our team.
You can also see how our visitor management solutions are already being used in practice by municipal utility companies:
In a free demo, we’ll show you how our solutions work and what benefits they can bring to your organisation.
Strengthened for the Future of Digital Public Administration
Kommunale 2025 showed that friendlyway is addressing the issues that matter most to municipalities and critical infrastructure operators today. We want to thank all visitors for their interest, their questions, and the many valuable conversations.
As an experienced partner, we support public-sector organisations on their way towards safer, more efficient, and more citizen-friendly digital services.
