History

1997
Tilbury House founded by Paul Drew-Bear, Director of the American Management Seminars at the University of Cologne.

1998
First Annual Finals – Dean’s Conference Room, Faculty of Business and Economics.
Judge: Markus Voss, CAPITAL.

Christoph Buss becomes the first Tilbury House president.

1999
Inner Temple IV, London – Christoph Buss & Torsten Rode defeat 30 English teams at the first ever tournament Tilbury House participates in.

McKinsey&Company becomes Tilbury House’s exclusive long-term sponsor.

2000
First major press coverage: HANDELSBLATT – JUNGE KARRIERE publishes a two-page report on the Tilbury House Annual Finals.

The WIRTSCHAFTSWOCHE ranks Tilbury House as the German University debating society with the highest Oxbridge standards.

2001
European Universities Debating Championship in Ljubljana, Slovenia – Fabian Dittrich & Sergej Okolesnov, Dirk Harlacher & Torsten Rode, Christoph Buss (adjudicating) represent Tilbury House for the first time at the European Championship.

Tilbury House’s first exhibition debate at dies academicus – University of Cologne – Aula.

Tilbury House represents Germany at the European Debating council.

2002
Münster Invitational – Fabian Dittrich & Fabian Groene are the first Tilbury House team ever breaking to an intervarsity grand final.

West German Broadcasting (WDR) mock TV Debate at Tilbury House. Broadcast on the day before the second “Chancellor Debates” for the German Parliament elections 2002. Introduction & Commentary by Paul Drew-Bear.

2003
First Tilbury House Debating Workshop – Elliot Gold, the world class debater from London, is the tutor. He introduces strict British Parliamentary Rules to the internal Tilbury House tournament.

2004
After 7 years as founder and director of Tilbury House Paul Drew-Bear passes on the responsibility for the society to its members.

Fabian Dittrich becomes the fourth president of Tilbury House – taking over from Matthias Winkelmann who succeeded Laura Lembke and Christoph Buss.

Tilbury House adopts a set of 15 rules and a constitution as its governance structure.

The association „Freunde und Förderer der Debating Society Tilbury House e.V.“ is founded to support Tilbury House.

Tilbury House’s first ‚professors debate‘: Tilbury House vs. professors Fuest & Kempa.

2005
The inaugural Tilbury House Intervarsity is a tremendous success. Chief adjudicator: Elliot Gold, Patron: The British consul general William Boyd McCleary, Finals: hosted by the lord mayor of Cologne, Fritz Schramma.

Nottingham IV – Jan Schmitz & Kai Menzel are the first Tilbury House team breaking at a British IV.

Three yearly internal debating Cups are introduced.

Inaugural Tilbury House Chamber Debate.

The Boston Consulting Group becomes Tilbury House’s new exclusive long-term sponsor.

2006
Manchester IV – Antje Gajewski & Axel Waldeckerare are the first Tilbury House Team breaking to the grand final of a major English IV.

The first Tilbury House Summer Open is a great success.

Grand École IV, Paris – Assen Kochev & Jan Schmitz are the first team winning a tournament for Tilbury House.

Triumph at Oxford: Assen Kochev & Felix Lamouroux win the ESL Final of Europe’s biggest IV. Marco Sterly & Ralph Breuer make it to the Final, too, and Jan Schmitz & Kai Menzel break to semis.

2007

EUDC ’07 Koc – Assen Kochev & Jan Schmitz make it to the ESL Final; Felix Lamouroux & Kai Menzel break to the ESL quarter finals ranking 4th and 5th on the ESL speaker tab; Yana Zhakhouskaya & Dirk Harlacher also break to the ESL quarter finals.

WUDC ’07/’08 – Assen Kochev & Kai Menzel break to the ESL Final at Worlds.

Paris IV – Assen Kochev & Andrew Marshall (Oxford) win the final as the first Oxford-Tilbury composite team.

2008

Tilbury House represents Germany at the World Debating council.

German Championships – Marco Sterly is the best speaker of the preliminary rounds at the German National Championships in Berlin. Bianca and Marco Sterly are the best team on the tab.