BGA | BUSINESS IMPACT
members via social media. Therefore, we can claim that the clubs are an extremely active platform that offer our network members real added value. The changes made due to the Covid-19 situation since March 2020 have actually improved both the reach and the cohesion in our clubs. While moving all events online has been a challenge and meant losing the personal elements an on-campus event provides, the flexibility of online formats has enabled more Mannheimers, whether they live in Singapore or Seattle, to take part in club events. The network character of such events could also be replicated in online breakout sessions. The lesson we have learned from this challenge is that, in the future, we will organise both on-campus and online events, as well as hybrid events where appropriate. We were also able to develop new formats, especially at the beginning of the crisis, such as ‘Ask a Mannheimer’ or ‘Meet a Mannheimer’, in which a member with a senior position of interest answered questions from fellow Mannheimers. All in all, we have registered strong growth during the Covid-19 crisis, which was not thought possible at the beginning of the pandemic. Positioning the Network Clubs is starting to pay off. External partners, such as our corporate network or other organisations in the vicinity of Mannheim Business School, have become aware of this strong platform. Large companies are now approaching us to get a foot in the door of our clubs – partly to strengthen their brand and attract attention in this area, but also to recruit in the clubs and advertise jobs exclusively. We also find that our network across all programmes is a significant advantage in competing for the best future students. And, last but not least, our network members have realised the value of the clubs for their personal and career development.
‘External partners have become aware of this strong platform. Large companies are now approaching us to get a foot in the door of our clubs’
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Jens Wüstemann has served as President of Mannheim Business School, the umbrella organisation for management education at the state-owned University of Mannheim, Germany, since 2010. He joined the University of Mannheim in 2000 and holds the Chair of Business Administration and Auditing.
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