by Jan Gackenholz, MLB Class of 2009
Imagine two groups of students: both are aspiring to become masters in their respective fields, both bring together diverse backgrounds, both professionally, as well as culturally, and both are keen to get to know all sorts of businesses and industries. Then you mix the two during a weekend in Hamburg - what happens?
The result is a fun packed, exciting weekend around town. Having been invited by the WHU-MBAs to a BBQ during our first Live-In Week in Vallendar, Bucerius MLBs returned the favour and welcomed the MBAs on 30 January to Hamburg for a weekend. The programme was packed with company visits, industry specific lectures, wining & dining, as well as cultural activities throughout town. Whilst Friday was dedicated to company visits of Beiersdorf and ECE (including presentations), Saturday provided first hand experiences of the private equity industry in Germany (speaker: Dr. Hanns Ostmeier of DVK) and entrepreneurial spirit (speaker: Bodo von Laffert, founder of the Sushi Factory). The day was capped with cultural activities and culinary joys (all-you-can-eat sushi). A visit to the Fischmarkt was scheduled for early Sunday morning; however, rumour has it that attendance was rather limited following an evening in Hamburg's Schanzenviertel.
This was the first MLB-MBA visit and all students have agreed that it should not be the last. The two programmes compliment each other and all sides expressed interest in a repeat performance. Thanks go the helping hands of Aimee Mattimoe and Benedikt Landgrebe of BLS, Heidi Hoffmann, Heike Hülpüsch and all other WHU participants, as well as the speakers. A final thanks goes to the MLB students for being exceptional hosts!