Elbphil-harmonie and Laeiszhalle simplifies sharing and signatures with Dropbox and Dropbox Sign

Background

At Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle, two of Hamburg’s most prestigious cultural institutions, no two nights are the same. With up to five concerts a day, featuring everyone from world-famous soloists to emerging ensembles, each show brings a new wave of materials: artist agreements, program notes, marketing materials, tech riders, and last-minute updates.

Teams jump between projects at full speed. And with that many moving parts, staying aligned is a non-negotiable.

Challenge: balancing ease of use and security

From day one, the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle team set out to create a clean, well-organized system for storing and sharing assets. But with so many people involved, from in-house staff to freelance collaborators to design agencies, it had to hit the right balance. Simple enough for anyone to use, yet secure and reliable enough to protect brand integrity and sensitive information.

“We work with a very diverse group of external partners, many from creative backgrounds. They’re not going to spend time learning complex systems,” says Melanie Kämpermann, Head of Marketing, Communication, and Sales at Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle.

That meant ruling out anything too corporate or complicated. It also required thinking carefully about permissions: Who should see what, how files should be passed between teams, how to prevent version confusion as shows rotated in and out, and how to eliminate the delays caused by manually creating and signing contracts with artists, agencies, and partners around the world.

Solution: a structure that works for everyone

The team adopted Dropbox while Elbphilharmonie was still under construction, with Dropbox supporting the rollout directly so they could get up and running fast. “If something went wrong or a question came up, we got answers right away. The support was quick and effective. That really made a difference,” says Ingo Främbs, Deputy Head of IT at Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle. “Today, we count 260 Dropbox users.”

Another important factor in choosing Dropbox was its ease of use for creative partners. “The folder structure in Dropbox mirrors what people are used to on their own computers,” says Främbs. “Most of our partners already use Dropbox, so there’s nothing to explain. They can jump right in.”

Between the two concert halls, nearly 200 terabytes of content is stored in a structured folder system that complies with European and German data regulations—everything from marketing materials and press kits to contracts and production files. “Security was the main reason why we chose Dropbox. The first big milestone was when Dropbox moved its data centers to Europe,” explains Främbs.

Staff share access with external partners through simple links, whether it’s a single asset or an entire folder. And if there’s ever confusion, like two people editing the same file, version history helps the team see exactly what changed and when, so they can quickly resolve it and stay on track.

The team also uses Dropbox Replay to manage video reviews. And with Sign, contracts are signed digitally and automatically stored in the same system, keeping everything traceable and in one place.

Results: clarity, flexibility, and control for a fast-moving team

With a clear folder structure, files are easy to find. Instead of sending attachments or digging through inboxes, everyone knows where to look, so collaboration with outside teams is seamless. Sharing is also more secure. Teams can grant access to specific content without exposing anything else.

The platform’s flexibility helps, too. Staff can decide which documents to keep in the cloud and which to make available offline for easy access when working remotely, traveling, or jumping between venues. “Once one concert season wraps up, I’ll set those folders to ‘online-only’ to save space on my local drive,” explains Kämpermann. “That way, my device is not cluttered or running out of space. But at the same time, even when I’m working offline, I can open important files on my device—whether I’m at home, on the train, or meeting with our partners.”

Sign helps staff collect signatures from leadership, artists, and collaborators quickly with far less back-and-forth. Before, forms had to be printed, signed by hand, scanned, and sometimes sent through internal mail, where they could easily go missing. “Now, all our documents are trackable,” says Främbs. “Nothing gets lost. You always know exactly where a document is, who’s signed it and who hasn’t.”

Replay also speeds up video reviews and simplifies collaboration. With frame-specific comments all on the same file, feedback is easier to give and understand, so edits get finished in fewer rounds.

With Dropbox, the Elbphilharmonie and Laeiszhalle team needed no major investments in hardware, cooling systems, or dedicated space—investments most cultural institutions couldn't afford. For a team managing hundreds of terabytes, Dropbox doesn't just simplify collaboration. It makes financial sense.