Makers United 2026: Bringing the worlds of craftsmanship and technology together
On June 27, 2026, Chemnitz’s Stadthalle will once again transform into a vibrant hub for the international maker community. As the main sponsors, community4you and AUPROTEC are once again joining forces this year to offer completely free admission to the Makers United hands-on festival. In this interview, Uwe Bauch, CEO of community4you AG and Managing Director of AUPROTEC GmbH & Co. KG, explains why this commitment means far more to him than traditional sponsorship, what highlights visitors can expect at the booth, and how gaming and logic go hand in hand for the next generation.
Question: Mr. Bauch, this is community4you’s third year participating in Makers United—you were also a sponsor in 2023 and 2025. As was the case last year, you’ll be appearing again in 2026 alongside your subsidiary AUPROTEC. Why do you think this combination works so well?
Uwe Bauch: It’s a perfect fit. Makers United brings together precisely the two worlds that our companies represent: the cutting-edge digital technology of community4you and the hands-on, industrial craftsmanship of AUPROTEC.
Question: The festival is aimed particularly at children and families, who can try out modern technology for themselves here and gain a hands-on understanding of how the world is shaped today. Is there also a local connection?
Uwe Bauch: Many people in the region grew up with a culture of improvisation and DIY. This understanding of how things work, along with flexibility and creativity, is in demand again. What we may have seen as a necessity back then is now becoming a true source of future viability that we should be promoting on a massive scale once more. Today, anyone with business acumen has entirely new opportunities thanks to these skills and modern tools.
With compact lasers, 3D printers, or CNC mills, I can run a business right out of my hobby room and sell my products online. And even if not everyone becomes an entrepreneur right away: In a world where fewer and fewer people are willing to settle for standard solutions, the winner in the end will be the one who can understand, adapt, and further develop things on their own.
Question: The sponsorship from community4you and AUPROTEC ensures that admission for schools, children, and families will remain completely free in 2026 as well. Why is this point so important to you?
Uwe Bauch: This is a matter close to our hearts and a red line for us. It simply cannot be the case in our society that access to education, future technologies, and creative development depends on how much money parents have!
Makers United demonstrates that we can shape our everyday lives with the help of technology—from the very first attempt all the way to creating our own prototype. These “aha” moments can inspire children to develop a completely different approach to technology—one that lasts a lifetime. If we were to hide such experiences behind a paywall, we would be excluding precisely those children who might become our best developers or craftsmen tomorrow.
For us, this isn’t sponsorship in the traditional sense, but part of a deep understanding of regional responsibility and development: spaces for technology, curiosity, and experimentation emerge where people and companies actively support them. That’s exactly why we’re making the event accessible to all visitors.
Question: You’re not only represented as a logo sponsor but also with your own offerings on-site. Can you give us a little preview of what visitors can expect?
Uwe Bauch: We rely on partnerships that have grown over the past few years and present our projects together with local partners. This year, AUPROTEC is collaborating closely with Chemnitz-based Vectorlab. Our booth, located right in front of the Stadthalle, will essentially be a modular workshop. Under the guidance of the Vectorlab team, visitors can create a small camping DIY project with us: a practical tray that transforms Euro crates or beverage crates into a stool or a camping table. The materials are provided by AUPROTEC. And at the end, the trays can be individually customized with a laser and taken home. A lasting memory.
Question: This year’s Makers United will also feature the celebratory conclusion of a very special community4you project. What’s the story behind the “MineCode” digital competition?
Uwe Bauch: That’s right. On the day of the festival, we’ll be announcing the winners of our big “MineCode” competition, which we at community4you have been running over the past few weeks in collaboration with Mentor Spot at Chemnitz’s Brühl. In the competition, children and teens had to solve complex, game-based challenges in Minecraft Education. Our goal was to demonstrate that gaming requires not just quick fingers, but above all logical thinking, structure, and analytical skills. Makers United, with all its innovative energy, is exactly the right stage for this award ceremony. And at the Mentor Spot booth, you can still try your hand at programming yourself on that day.
Question: As you look ahead to the festival, what are you most looking forward to?
Uwe Bauch: I’m really looking forward to the burst of international flair that the roughly 20 international makers from the Maker Residence will bring to our region. It’s always fascinating to see the ingenious, creative works that emerge right here on site. Another personal highlight will surely be the Young Makers University with TV host Simón Albers, who will inspire the children with his incomparably humorous style to get excited about industrial culture. And most of all, I’m naturally looking forward to hopefully lots of curious visitors coming to our booth and getting caught up in the DIY fever!
More Information and Contact
For more information about Makers United, visit:
https://www.makers-united.de/en/
For inquiries regarding community4you and AUPROTEC:
Tim Jungmittag
Phone: 0371 9094110
Email: marketing@community4you.de
06/15/2026