Erste Bank at TEDxDonauinsel: AI Magic Mirror asking "Where do you see yourself in a year?"

In short: At TEDxDonauinsel "Make it!" on 23 May 2026 at the MuTh in Vienna, Erste Bank asked its guests one question: "Where do you see yourself in a year?" Guests typed their answer into our AI Magic Mirror, and the AI placed them right in that scene, with their name in large letters in the picture. They took the result home as a postcard in Erste's "Glaub an dich" ("believe in yourself") design.

The occasion: TEDxDonauinsel at the MuTh

TEDxDonauinsel is an independently organised TEDx conference in Vienna. In 2026 it ran under the motto "Make it!" as "The Idea Conference" at the MuTh, Am Augartenspitz 1 in Vienna's second district. There were talks on stage and many international, English-speaking guests in the audience.

Erste Bank had its own space at the conference, with a blue wall covered in the hashtag #glaubandich. Our mirror stood right next to it. Erste booked us, in the same setting as a joint booking a few weeks earlier.

Why the question suits the conference

"Make it!" as the conference motto, "believe in yourself" as Erste's message: both are about turning your own plans into something real. The question "Where do you see yourself in a year?" sums that up in one sentence that every guest can answer for themselves.

The mirror turns that answer into a picture. Write "running a marathon" and you are on the course. Write "in a stadium" and you are on the pitch. That turns a marketing question into something people actually want to try.

The preparation: motifs refined over several rounds

We started with two fixed motifs: "you as a speaker at TEDxDonauinsel", with the conference name clearly visible, and a motif for finishing your studies. We wrote prompts and sent preview images. For the speaker motif the feedback was that it still looked more like a karaoke show than a conference stage. With a photo of the previous year's stage as a reference, the big letters stood on the stage floor in the next round. The reply: "Perfect! That looks great."

A few days before the conference the question about the year ahead was added, to match the postcards. Instead of a fixed motif, every guest now decides what happens in the picture.

How the mirror works on the day

Guests step up to the mirror, type their name and their answer on the touchscreen and take a photo. The AI needs about half a minute, then the picture is ready, with the name in large letters above the scene.

Many guests spoke English. That is no problem for the mirror: input works in practically any language, with nothing to switch beforehand.

How varied the answers can be is shown by one guest who tried several: once running through the desert, once in a team shirt in a football stadium. Several guests also photographed their result straight off the screen with their phones.

The postcard in the "Glaub an dich" design

Prints came in postcard format, 10 × 15 centimetres. We reused the layout from our previous booking with Erste: a blue frame, "Glaub an dich" at the bottom left and the Erste logo at the bottom right. The AI picture fills the centre.

That way every card carries the bank's message without feeling like an advert. The focus stays on the guest and their plan for the coming year. All pictures were also available digitally.

Attendance and setup

The device on site was the AI Magic Mirror X, our large Magic Mirror X with AI features. One of our promoters stayed at the mirror all day, explaining the process, helping with typing, changing the paper and looking after the technology.

Setup takes about half an hour. The mirror needs roughly two by two metres of space, a standard socket and internet, because the AI images are rendered online. We bring our own mobile internet for that.

What we take away from TEDxDonauinsel

An AI picture works when it has to do with the occasion and with the guest. An open question does both: it fits the company's message and still leaves every guest their own answer. And the preview rounds beforehand make sure the result on the day looks the way everyone imagined.

An AI mirror for your conference

Are you planning a conference, a congress or a corporate event and want to give guests a picture that fits your message? Tell us the occasion and the motto, and we will develop the motifs or the right question and send you preview images in advance. The AI Magic Mirror is part of our AI Line. We work all over Austria.

FAQ: AI Magic Mirror at conferences

Can guests decide what happens in the picture?

Yes. At TEDxDonauinsel guests answered the question "Where do you see yourself in a year?" and the AI turned the answer into the picture.

Does the mirror work in English?

Yes. Input works in practically any language, without any presetting.

Can the guest's name appear in the picture?

Yes. Guests type their name, and it appears in large letters in the finished picture.

Can the print carry our own design?

Yes. We put frame, logo and claim into the print layout; for Erste it was the "Glaub an dich" design in postcard format.

What does the mirror need on site?

Roughly two by two metres of space, a socket and internet. We bring mobile internet ourselves.

Is someone from your team there?

Yes. One of our promoters stays at the mirror for the entire booking.