Opportunities for Growth: That was the theme of this year’s Student Conference on Family Business & Entrepreneurship in Berlin. Eight students of the Bachelor`s program Management & Entrepreneurship traveled to Berlin with coaches Katharina Rotter and Maija Worek and took part in this international blended intensive program.
Over 80 international students from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Kozminski University from Poland and HWR Berlin took part in this student conference. Before the event took place in the German capital, the program started with a virtual phase. Here, the students met online and had to solve various tasks in international teams. They also conducted interviews with local family businesses. The results were then presented at the conference in Berlin.
International exchange in Berlin
Finally, they went to Berlin! For one week, the focus was on family businesses and entrepreneurs and the challenges they face. The conference started with a keynote speech by Rolf-Jürgen Moll, whose family has been running the Moll Group, a family business in the industrial holdings and real estate sector since 1894. In addition to lectures, discussions and workshops, there was also plenty of time to explore Berlin and visit some family businesses on site: at Florida Eis Manufaktur, the students learned all about the company’s almost 100-year history – ice cream tasting included! The small company Ferrum Lasercut is an expert in sheet metal and the technology specialist EBK Krüger produces engine components for almost all car manufacturers in Europe.
Finally, the research projects of the international student teams and their results were presented to a jury.
All participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to gain their first research experience in an international context. “It was an enriching experience – on both a professional and personal level,” said lecturer Katharina Rotter.
>> More information about the Bachelor`s program Management & Entrepreneurship