Small and medium-sized enterprises have been hit particularly hard by the corona lockdown. They rarely have the financial leeway which helps larger companies to get through the crisis. "Forum Mittelstand", a joint project of the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the internationally renowned WHU - Otto Beisheim School of Management, is now intending to support them. WHU professors will analyze the situation for companies and show what steps entrepreneurs can take. "To foster the cooperation and practice-oriented exchange between the regional economy and WHU has been a concern of ours for many years," says Ralf Lawaczeck, Managing Director and Head of the Networks and Initiatives Department of the Koblenz Chamber of Commerce and Industry, explaining the motives for the event. "We are convinced that especially now, we can use it to support our member companies on their way out of the corona crisis".
A total of six lectures will be held in German under the title "Zukunftsstrategien für den Mittelstand: Jetzt die richtigen Weichen stellen.” Due to the circumstances, the lectures will be offered online sessions this time. They can thus also be attended by company representatives who are not based within the immediate reach of Vallendar and Koblenz as well as by an interested public. WHU particularly invites member companies of the Chambers of Industry and Commerce in North Rhine-Westphalia to participate.
The online sessions are designed as 20 to 25-minute presentations followed by a moderated question and answer part. The first online session will be held on May 20, 2020, at 4:30 pm by Professor Dr. Marko Reimer titled "Crisis Management from the Controller's Perspective". "We feel very close to the regions of Koblenz and the Rhineland and are always looking for an exchange with the companies based here," says Professor Dr. Christina Günther, holder of the IHK Chair for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. "This exchange is very fruitful for both sides. We would now like to give the companies some orientation on how they can remain competitive even after the crisis".
For dates and registration please visit this website