In the summer semester of 2021, the first Ideationweek will take place at Hof University of Applied Sciences. It will be organized by the Startuplab project. Ideationweek is a five-day teaching event in workshop format and comparable to a hackathon. The topic of this year’s premiere is “The Car Dealership of the Future.”
Image: Bonneval Sebastien on Unsplash
The goal is to develop new and innovative business models, implementable future strategies, new products or services based on a real problem of a partner company within just five days. The partner company of #ideationweek2021 is the Mercedes dealership Müller, headquartered in Hof.
Five days, five teams, one common goal
During Ideationweek, the students go through various process steps based on the Design Thinking approach and the Design Sprint developed by Google Ventures: from understanding the problem to developing prototypes to evaluating and finally presenting concrete possible solutions. They are accompanied by experienced coaches, professors and experts from the company. Company visits and participation in internal discussions quickly give them an insight into the company’s operations. Participants work in interdisciplinary teams of up to four people
We don’t work on a model during Ideationweek, we don’t simulate, it’s real: real customers, real challenges. That’s what’s so exciting about it.”
Jörg Raithel, Startuplab project coordinator and organizer of Ideationweek
Topic 2021: The car dealership of the future
The automotive industry is undergoing a profound transformation. This affects manufacturers just as much as car dealerships. Digitalization in particular means challenges, but also a wealth of opportunities
“Digitalization is having a significant impact on the areas of service and sales in the automotive trade. Modern cars now monitor themselves to a large extent. This is changing the demands on us as service providers.”
Alexander Müller, Managing Director Auto Müller
And he continues: “At the same time, the mobility needs and information behavior of our customers are changing, and with them the demands on our sales. We would like to develop approaches for new business models together with the students during Ideationweek.”
The Deadline
21. through May 25, 2021 (Pentecost weekend). Depending on the corona situation, Ideationweek will be held as an online, hybrid, but preferably a face-to-face event at Einstein1.
Target audience
Ideationweek is offered across all faculties. Prior knowledge is not mandatory. However, it is recommended to have completed at least 60 ECTS in the Bachelor’s program. There are no restrictions for Master students. The course will be held in German (individual impulse contributions may be held in English).
Application / Enrollment:
The number of participants is limited. An online application is required for participation. The enrollment takes place after successful application by the lecturers (Prof. Dr. Anke Müller, Prof. Dr. Michael Seidel) via moodle. Further information at https://www.hof-university.de/wirtschaft/startuplab.html.
The examination performance
It includes the mandatory participation in the Ideationweek (5 days), a final presentation as well as a study paper. Up to 5 ECTS can be awarded, depending on the respective course of study. Please clarify in advance with the head of the study program.
