Region56+ and the Campus of Innovation

In that one region of Germany where the towns’ zip codes all begin with the numbers “56,” opportunities abound and the cast of characters and institutions are colorful and diverse. That fact has, once again, been made poignantly clear at the Innovations-Campus (Campus of Innovation), put on by regional marketing initiative Region56+. On September 15, 2023, at the historical Sayner Hütte in Bendorf-Sayn, brilliant minds from the local business scene and academia met to exchange ideas on how to make life, studying, and working in the region even more attractive to potential newcomers.

Keynote speaker at the event was Anders Indset, a Spiegel-bestelling author and economics theorist. Hailing from Norway and now based in Frankfurt am Main, Indset called for new solutions and gave his audience some food for thought: “Take an interest in new things and in new people, because that will make you interesting to others. And interesting people leave the table with everything!” The Campus of Innovation, emceed this year by comedian Klaus-Jürgen “Knacki” Deuser, also offered tag team champion sessions, an “idea slam,” panel discussions, and many networking opportunities.

Professor Christina Günther, from WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management, and Simon Gunnemann, one of three directors of the prolific Westerwald-based bakery Hack AG, are one of the region’s strongest tag team duos (i.e., two representatives from two different institutions that have come together for a common project). Günther, who holds the IHK-Chair of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises at WHU, and Gunnemann joined forces some time ago, wanting to collaborate on a new project. And with a theme ringing in their ears—“German bread goes US”—that is exactly what they have done. “This has all given us the opportunity to invite students from the United States to our campus in Vallendar so that they can see why it is that medium-sized enterprises in Germany are so incredibly successful,” said Professor Günther.

During this time, practical relevance was the order of the day. The visiting American students got an exclusive look into the business conducted at Hack AG, itself a medium-sized firm, and then used their own expertise to develop opportunities for the company to launch its baked goods on the American market. “To finish their projects, the students had to find a potential future business contact and then provide that contact’s telephone number,” she continued. In the end, both WHU and Hack AG noted their satisfaction with the successful results.

Region56+

In order to provide both civilians and companies with an attractive framework for their careers, education, and overall quality of life, Region56+, founded in 2019, fosters and makes good use of the local area’s potential. This association, which comprises prominent companies and institutions based in the greater Koblenz area and beyond, strives to achieve greater recognition for the region. WHU is one of the initiative’s sponsors.