The Forum
The cross-domain forum for professionals who shape and perform operations where failure puts lives at risk.
The only conference where air traffic controllers, energy operators, emergency responders, and industrial safety engineers sit in the same room — and talk openly.
Short Video Statements of Speakers, Hosts and Attendees – we continuously show new ones!
Agenda Overview
October, 13th - DAY 1
Eva Kanz/CCA Control Center Apps GmbH
UX Under Pressure: Decisions, Alerts and Responsibility
Michael Schneeberger/Joanneum Research
Biosignal Wearables for Risk Monitoring of First Responders
Christian Kusmitsch, Alexander Neuhaus/Mindset Technologies Development GmbH, Frequentis AG
Effects of User Interface Design on Cognitive Load in Air Traffic Management
Massimiliano Gattoni/NeuroMind AGI
From Digital to Cognitive Transformation: Keeping Humans in the Loop Under Pressure
Mike Hanna/Usability Mapping Inc.
When failure is no option
Anahid Wachsenegger/Austrian Institute of Technology GmbH
XAI for Time Series: Unlocking Transparency in Predictive Models
Herbert Wein, Leonhard Lass, Tanja Tomic/VERBUND AG; Indicate Digital GmbH
Implementing High Performance HMI in Hydropower Generation
Thomas Fränzl/Frequentis AG - ATM Tower Solutions
Digital Tower Operations in Air Traffic Control
October, 13th - EVENING
Relax and Enjoy..
NETWORK DINNER
October, 14th - DAY 2
Key Note: Sevan Gerard, Paul Barrach/Aviogel
Human-Centered Resilience: Bridging Disaster Health Innovation and Critical Operations for an Uncertain Future
Werner Kruse/Bavaria Digital Technik GmbH
Supply Chain Challenges in Uncertain Times
Andrea Zanda/Carabinieri
No Security Vacuum: Practical Approaches to Public Safety in Catastrophes
Alaa M. Abdullah/North Oil
Securing Continuity and Safety in the Sensitive Industry
of Oil&Gas
Jakob Berger/Red Bull
Calm in the Chaos: Engineering Certainty Through People, Technology, and Critical Event Operations
James Moloney/Sovereign Systems Group
Risks and Challenges faced by Task Forces in Underground Environments
Bernhard Kowalski, Michael Georg Grasser/Steiermärkische Krankenanstaltengesellschaft m. b. H. (KAGes)
Your team won’t perform in a real crisis? This training closes the gap.
Impuls Keynote: Christian Resch
Training, Simulation, Resilience – How to learn from pros and scale it up to population
Table Talks Overview
IMPACTFUL
Two formats that facilitate the discussions you seek! Big & Planned or Small & Spontaneous
The best technical discussions in this industry happen in corridors, not on stages — because that is where people stop performing and start thinking together. This format moves that conversation onto a table and engages interested participants. If you have a situation that has been sitting in the back of your mind — one you would describe to a trusted colleague over coffee — that is the right kind of topic.
For Whom &
Why Attend
Most safety conferences stay inside one domain.
COF2026 doesn't.
In two days, you'll hear how Frequentis designs communication systems for ATC, how VERBUND manages hydropower control room HMI, how the Carabinieri coordinate disaster response, and how Red Bull runs mass-event operations at scale — then you'll sit at a table with the people who built those systems and discuss challenges and approaches openly.
No vendor pitches. Cross-domain pattern recognition you won't find anywhere else.
Apply as a Speaker
COF invites professionals, researchers, and innovators to contribute to the program with talks or workshops. The forum brings together experts from across industries to explore how human and technical factors interact.
We are looking for practical, applied, and inspiring contributions that address real challenges and solutions in critical operations. Topics of interest include (but are not limited to):
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UX and HMI design in safety-critical systems
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Human factors and cognitive ergonomics under pressure
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Stress, decision-making, and operational performance
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Automation, AI, and the human role in complex systems
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Safety management, procedures, and organizational resilience
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Business continuity and system recovery
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Communication and coordination across agencies or domains
Whether you’re an engineer, designer, psychologist, operator, or leader — if your work helps people and systems perform safely and effectively, we want to hear from you.
Team
Behind the Critical Operations Forum stands a multidisciplinary team that lives critical decision-making every day. A senior UX psychologist, an experienced organizer and UX expert, and an entrepreneur with a background in mission-critical systems combine their expertise to shape a conference that is as human-centered as it is technically rigorous. Their shared goal: turning complex real-world risks into actionable insights you can apply when everything is on the line.
Verena Seibert-Giller
UX Psychologist
Christopher Leder
BCM Expert
Mario Schwaiger
Systems Specialist
Johannes Robier
Lead Organisation
Our Partners
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