In January, students on the ‘Sustainable Tourism’ degree programme presented their ideas for raising the profile of the town on the Rhine to representatives of the town of Emmerich.
The Sustainable Tourism degree programme was looking for an exciting project idea and got in touch with Dr Manon Loock-Braun from the Emmerich am Rhein Economic Development and City Marketing Association GmbH. “We’re always keen to receive project ideas from the business world, so that our students can apply what they’ve learnt in a practical context whilst also developing soft skills that are hugely important for their future careers – such as presenting their own ideas and concepts in a compelling way,” sums up Imke Hans, research assistant for Career Service and Employability at the Faculty of Society and Economics. The proposal was immediately well received, and this led to the project idea for the ‘Destination Management’ module, in which the students, working alongside Prof. Dr Dirk Reiser, Professor of Sustainable Tourism Management at Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences, were tasked with developing brand strategies for the town of Emmerich am Rhein.
Following on from the theoretical content covered in the ‘Destination Management’ course, the students explored topics such as ‘The Emmerich am Rhein Brand’, ‘The Emmerich am Rhein as a City of Culinary Delights brand’, ‘Advertising concept for the future Kneipp spa resort in Emmerich am Rhein’ and ‘Concept for the certification of the Elten Kneipp spa resort’.
The presentations of the project results took place on the premises of Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences. In attendance were Peter Hinze, Mayor of Emmerich am Rhein; the project’s initiator, Dr Manon Loock-Braun; and Sascha Terörde from the Emmerich am Rhein Economic Development and City Marketing Association (Wirtschaftsförderungs- und Stadtmarketing-Gesellschaft Emmerich am Rhein mbH); as well as Tim Terhorst, press officer for the town of Emmerich am Rhein. Recommendations for action included the creation of brand-building attractions in the town, the transformation of the townscape through lighting, and the use of events to raise the town’s profile.
Prof. Reiser from Rhein-Waal University of Applied Sciences looks back positively on the presentations: “The students’ ideas met with great interest from the town of Emmerich am Rhein. I was given to understand that some of the recommendations and ideas could be put into practice.”
