Experience for students to plan a festival at HMKW University, Berlin

See how this German university gives its students direct experience of using OnePlan to design a festival as a training pathway for their future careers.
Student uses OnePlan

Berlin university HMKW (Hochschule für Medien, Kommunikation und Wirtschaft – University of Applied Sciences) trains its students in event planning and has benefited from now doing so in OnePlan. Where previously students had to create events using excel, powerpoint, pen and paper, they now have hands-on experience using the same platform as event professionals.

The students are set a task by Professor Dr. Lorenz Pöllmann of designing a weekend entertainment event of their choice. They first meet together at the location Volkspark Friedrichshain to review the event area, before deciding what type of event to create – such as a festival or outdoor cinema. The task requires the students to conceptualize the event size, number of attendees, entertainment and security, before they then create their plans on OnePlan’s selection of maps.

Safety and security is a core topic for the students’ planning, meaning they plan for barriers, entrance and exit areas, as well as staffing. The students design crowd management within OnePlan, including how many people should fit into distinct zones of the event to ensure a safe experience. Infrastructure is also placed on their event plans, including stages, catering and washroom facilities.

OnePlan is fantastic! It's really fun to work with the software."

This practical experience sets the students up for success when they leave university and embark on their careers. The positive experience that comes with designing events – including crowd management and placing infrastructure – gives them first-hand knowledge of how event professionals do their jobs. And the sharing functionality in OnePlan is particularly liked, with all students able to easily share their plans with their professor.

One of the Event Management students, Tim Waltner, says, “OnePlan is fantastic! The idea is great and it’s really a lot of fun to work with the software. I am sure that many event planners will enjoy using the tool in the future.”

For Professor Dr. Pöllmann, it’s a simple and effective experience. All plans are in one dashboard for review, and all the students have the same planning experience, meaning the quality of their plans can be easily compared. At HMKW, this saves time and admin work in training the students – a big change from the previous approach where plans would be submitted in multiple formats without consistency. And for the students, it provides real-world skills that gives them an advantage when seeking their first event management job.

Prof. Dr. Lorenz Pöllmann

OnePlan benefits teams that cannot meet in one place - as is the case in the pandemic."

“OnePlan illustrates how digital transformation can be implemented in event organisations, as complex plans can be created efficiently,” says Prof. Dr. Pöllmann. 

He continues, “The software, as a cloud solution, also enables simultaneous work in one document. This is an important advantage for decentralised cooperation between different stakeholders. And – as is currently the case in the pandemic – a benefit for teams that cannot meet in one place due to home office work.”