The pandemic is over - at least that's what it feels like at the Frankfurt Brands Gala, which will be celebrated on Saturday evening in the Alte Oper, after a year of failure and with a strict 2-G rule.

The joy of the new freedom can be seen in society, made up of representatives of the advertising industry and Frankfurt city society: whether in the foyer, at the bar or in the ballroom, people everywhere talk, drink and laugh exuberantly in fine thread.

“We can celebrate again”, says Claudio Montanini, President of the Marketing Club Frankfurt, or as the presenter Cherno Jobatey, who has traveled from Berlin, describes him and Christiane Goetz-Weimer: “the bosses of det Janze”.

Goetz-Weimer, who is organizing the gala with her husband Wolfram as the publisher of the Weimer Media Group for the first time, joins in: "Welcome back to life!"

Meeting of the German advertising industry

But of course the pandemic is not over completely, and it still plays a role on stage again and again. The organizers are honoring all medical professionals, nursing staff and researchers as “the lifeblood of mankind”. "I pay you great respect and thank you very much," said Limburg Bishop Georg Bätzing in his laudation. He also thanks all those who stood up for others during the pandemic and who continue to do so: "For me you are angels on earth." At the end, to great applause, he appealed: "Get vaccinated!"

The Gala brand is a mixture of ball and party, but above all it is the meeting point for the German advertising industry.

The golden branding iron has always been awarded here for the brand of the year.

This time it is the former CDU general secretary Peter Tauber who is allowed to accept the award as company spokesman for the Hessian family company Engelbert Strauss.

The brand's workwear is considered a cult.

When Tauber notes in his acceptance speech that the Hessians have recently started sponsoring FC Bayern, there are brief boos in the hall.

The "Frankfurter Sprungfeder", the award for the best start-up, goes to Vytal from Cologne.

The young company has developed a reusable system for the catering to-go business.

Founder Tim Breker wants even more: "We make reusable products an export hit!"

Merkel's humor and great jokes

Chancellor Angela Merkel, who is now only a managing director, receives the award as a political brand. In her laudation, Minister of State Dorothee Bär (CSU) praised the humor of the longest powerful woman in the world and reveals: “The later the hour, the better it gets.” Bär continues, her daughter is 15 years old, she doesn't know anyone else Chancellor. "You can not even imagine that a man can become Federal Chancellor."

The last award of the evening goes to entertainer Thomas Gottschalk as "Living Brand". Wolfram Weimer praises Gottschalk wearing an "undershirt of dignity" under his exuberant outfits, he drives his audience to "the edge of the crater of cheek". Gottschalk then promptly proves this and sets off a firework of slogans as a thank you: Weimer's speech was “almost past the obituary”, and at his age (71 years) he will take any price because: “After Living Brand there is only the Walking Dead . "His favorite moments in" Wetten, dass ..? "Were always those" when tall people turn into jokes ". For example, the actor Peter O'Toole, who “easily drunk” had the translation device dropped out of his ear. The audience hoots and stands up for thunderous applause. Between all the celebritiesMichael Mano and Cassandra Steen provide the musical framework for the prizes and politics, and after all prizes have been awarded, you can dance - thanks to the time change even an hour longer.