The M100 Sanssouci Colloquium was initiated in 2005 by a group of leading media and public figures when Potsdam was running for European Capital of Culture 2010. Since then the conference annually takes place in Park Sanssouci.

Founding members are Jann Jakobs (Lord Mayor City of Potsdam; Chair of the M100 Board), Lord Weidenfeld (President, Institute for Strategic Dialogue, London; CEO, Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London; Co-Chairman M100 Board), Dr. Mathias Döpfner (CEO Axel Springer SE), Dr. Frank Schirrmacher (Publisher Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung), Kai Diekmann (Publisher BILD Group), and Wolfram Weimer (Journalist, former editor-in-chief of Cicero).

The international forum brings together Europe`s top editors, commentators and media owners (print, broadcasting and internet) alongside key public figures to assess the role and impact of the media in international affairs and to promote democracy and freedom of expression and speech. As a modern-day East-West bridge-builder, the Colloquium fosters media relations and not only exposes differences but also common ground in the challenges faced by media from different cultures and regions.

The conference is followed by the M100 Media Award, which honours personalities who have left their mark on Europe and the world. The award reflects their contribution to the safeguarding of freedom of expression and the deepening of democracy as well as their outstanding achievements in promoting European understanding and communication.

The M100 Young European Journalists workshop (YEJ, former M100 Youth Media Workshop) annually invites young journalists between 18 and 26 years old from all over Europe to Potsdam. The event aims at both conveying practical and theoretical journalistic know-how and at creating a sustainable network among the participants. Already during the workshop exchange is a top priority: the participants get acquainted at first-hand with living and working conditions of colleagues their age coming from completely different political systems and societies. M100 not only promotes intercultural competence but also an understanding of democracy, openness and tolerance.