​Even if the current temperatures in Berlin hardly suggest it, the summer semester starts in a few days and I am looking forward to elaborate and discuss the topics of strategy, digitization and sponsorship with my international master courses.
A topic that has had a massive impact on almost all industries in the last 14 months and which is relevant across all sectors: digitalisation and digital change. The course "Digitalization in Sport" introduces the latest technologies that have the potential to give the sports industry a new face in the coming years. We look at the impact that innovation will have on the industry and its stakeholders. Of course, we always take a look at successful projects and case studies not only in sport. 
Digitization will also be one of the topics in the "Sponsoring" course in the coming weeks. In addition to the classic forms of sponsorship, the planning process and impact control, we deal with new strategic sponsorship commitments and innovative and digital opportunities of sponsorship. 
Both sponsorship and digitalization are an important component in the strategic orientation of sports clubs, associations and sports events. The course "Strategic Management" is therefore first concerned with the various internal and external analysis, before we then go into the strategic planning process from an entrepreneurial as well as a marketing perspective. Here, too, the cross-over on the latest developments in the digital sector is an issue.
So it remains exciting and, as always, very practical and application-oriented. Well, and the temperatures in Germany will hopefully rise a little more in time for the summer.

​Teaching online over the past 12 months was on one hand rather boring, as there has not been any interaction and personal discussions with students. I must admit I am a bit old school in this matter and like "analog" way of communication, coaching and teaching. On the other hand, it was an interesting new experience and that is fine, as I like to explore new and innovative ways of enhancing processes and gaining better results in whatever I do. The next level with regards to the online learning environment is certainly Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality classrooms and lessons. So the workshop with XR Bootcamp was a real eye-opener for me, what is possible in VR/AR in terms of teaching. Is it all good? Must we take this route? I don't know yet and I will decide over time, what fits my subjects, lectures and workshops. But it was certainly a great 5day workshop with Lance G. Powell and XR Bootcamp with great insights! Thanks for that!

Anlässlich des Weltfrauentages in diesem Jahr hat die englische BBC wieder ihre Umfrageergebnisse zum Thema "Preisgelder im Sport" veröffentlicht.
Laut der BBC Studie, die seit 2014 durchgeführt wird, bietet die überwältigende Mehrheit des Sports nun gleiches Preisgeld für Männer und Frauen bei den Top-Events rund um den Globus.
Von den 48 befragten Sportarten boten 37 Sportarten Preisgelder an , von denen nur drei bei keiner ihrer großen Meisterschaften oder Veranstaltungen gleiche Preisgelder auslobten.
Die größten Preisgeldlücken für männliche und weibliche Athleten gibt es im Fußball, Golf und Basketball.
Für England gesprochen, ist Sportminister Nigel Huddleston zufrieden mit der Entwicklung. "Es ist absolut richtig, dass die Prämien nun übereinstimmen und wir in den letzten Jahren auch eine deutliche Steigerung der Preisgelder im Frauensport  gesehen haben."

Seit der letzten Ausgabe des BBC-Studie zum Thema Preisgeld im Sport, im Jahr 2017 haben Sportarten wie Hockey, Klippentauchen, Surfen und Ringen bei mindestens einem großen Wettbewerb die Parität der Prämien erreicht. Die eher als konservativ geltende Sportart  Cricket hat hier die größten Schritte unternommen, um den Abstand zu verringern.

Es ist das dritte Mal, dass BBC Sport diese globale Studie nach 2014 und 2017 durchführt.
Die 2021er Ausgabe konzentriert sich auf das Preisgeld, das an die Gewinner des Wettbewerbs vergeben wird, und beinhaltet keine Löhne, Boni oder Sponsoring. Zu beachten ist, das einige Sportarten, einschließlich Rugby Union und Rudern, Männern und Frauen bei großen Wettkämpfen keine Preisgelder ausloben.

Den Artikel und die Gesamtübersicht aller Sportarten findet man hier

Die vergangenen zwölf Monate haben es gezeigt: Firmen-Meetings, Konferenzen und die Lehre an Schulen und Hochschulen haben sich fast ausschließlich digital abgespielt. Und wenn wir für den Sport sprechen - selbst Training lief eingeschränkt im Netz ab. Da ist es nachzuvollziehen, das sich eine gewissen "Zoom-Müdigkeit" einstellt - und zwar auf beiden Seiten des Bildschirms. Denn sowohl für Studierende oder Seminarteilnehmer ist es schwer, lange Zeit vor dem Bildschirm zu sitzen (oder zu liegen...) und Vorträgen und Diskussionen zu folgen, als auch für Lehrer, Trainer und Dozenten. 
Ich habe in den vergangenen Monaten viel gelernt, was den Unterricht Online angeht, wie man ihn mit Aufgaben und auch im Vortrag interessant und spannend gestalten kann und seine Zuhörer mitnimmt. Aber ich muss sagen, das eine gesunde Mischung aus Online und Präsenzlehre sicherlich die beste und effektivste Lösung in der Lehre der Zukunft ist. Online ist nicht die (alleinige) Lösung. 
Weg von Zoom, Teams oder anderen Kommunikations-Plattformen, ging es diese Woche für mich in die virtuelle Welt. Beim Workshop mit Lance Gordon Powell und Micheal Barngrover hatte ich die Möglichkeit, mich über neue Wege in der Online-Lehre mit virtuellen Welten zu informieren. Vista, Virbella, Hub, Altspace oder Engage. Alles virtuelle Welten und Plattformen die ich vorher noch nicht kannte und es war schon ein bisschen seltsam, sich hier zurechtzufinden. Interessant am Workshop, das man mit anderen eigene Räume entwerfen konnte und sich auch gemeinsam Gedanken machen konnte ob und wenn ja wie wie ich für meinen Bereich  mit VR und diesen ja nicht neuen Tools, Online-Lehre verbessern kann. Ich gebe zu,  eine Herausforderung und mein Findungsprozess ist noch ergebnissoffen. 
​Hier ein interessanter wissenschaftlicher Artikel zum Thema "Zoom-Müdigkeit" 

I am happy to announce, that I will conduct again the Summer School at the University of Europe for Applied Science in Berlin in 2021 - this time online.
As we had - due to the covid19 pandemic - to cancel all personal lectures in the summer of 2020, we will have the Summer School 2021 as a digital Summer School !

The Summer School 2021 lays the first foundations for a successful career as a manager in international sports institutions or companies of international sports products. It conveys knowledge and skills in basic areas of international sports management and links these with a first overview from a sports science and sports economics perspective.

The one-week digital course sensitizes students to the challenges of working at the interface between business administration and sports.
The course highlights the special structures of sports management, environmental conditions, economic and legal frameworks, basic business functions and processes in sports management. Special areas of conflict in sports management are examined as examples and finally the international dimension of sports management is elaborated.

The University of Europe for Applied Sciences educates the  decision-makers of tomorrow in the fields of: Art & Design, Business, Sports, Media & Event. The synergy of creativity, entrepreneurial digital thinking, and internationality enriches the faculties and leads to new perspectives in teaching and research, meeting the needs of the job market in the 4.0 era.
 
International Sports & Event Management (ISEM)
The course consists of 30 contact hours and is equivalent to 3 credit points (ECTS). Participants can expect 10 to 15 hours per week and classes might not take place every day. When you are not in class, you can work on your project, deepen your knowledge in a specific area or prepare yourself for the next lesson. Participants receive an Online Summer Certificate including their grades after taking part in the course. The Sport Management and Photography program run for 2 weeks each. The Digital Marketing program spans over 3 weeks.

The course is taught in English and suitable to all who are interested in the topic of sports & event management. No level of experience is required. However, I strongly recommend that participants have a B2 (upper intermediate) level of English to be able to follow classes and get the most out of them. In order to attend the online courses, you need a computer that is compatible with MS Office (MS TEAMS), constant access to the internet as well as a webcam.

​Our Sport Management course is taught by Ralf Iwan, who has been working in international sports for more than 20 years and knows the industry from almost all kind of views: he has worked as a coach and project manager for sport development projects in Qatar, South Africa, Singapore, UK, Honduras, Lebanon and Kazakhstan. In 2016 Ralf started his consulting business 2K+ Management, where he advises sport federations, clubs, government agencies and NGOs in strategy, organisational development, project management and recruitment. 

Participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and their final work of the course will be graded. On a competitive job market, it is important to stand out by showing additional expertise, interest and commitment. Taking part in the Online Summer School provides you with the opportunity to learn, and gain a certificate from an International University based in Germany. Build up your knowledge and give your CV the edge!

The University of Applied Sciences Europe awards 3 credit points (ECTS) for this course, that might be accepted towards your degree at your home institution.

At the end of the course, you will receive a Certificate of Completion as well as a transcript. If you are interested please register direct at the University for Applied Sciences Europe.

Auch für Dozenten und Lehrende ist der direkte Kontakt zu den Studierenden im Hörsaal oder Seminarraum von Vorteil. Aber meist sieht die Lehre auch im Wintersemester so aus ...

The winter-semester 2020/21 is in full swing! This week I will start my course "Digitalisaten in Sports" with ISEM master students at  University of Applied Sciences in Berlin. I am looking forward to an interesting three-day-course with international master-students from 6 different countries.
Digitalisation has invaded all areas of society, with sport certainly no exception. The corvid 19 pandemic has accelerated this development over the past six month tremendously. Digitalisation has transformed fans’ relationships with their club or athlete, shrinking the metaphorical gap between the spectator and what’s happening on the field of play or training pitch. For players too – both professional and amateur – it has augmented performance, pushed boundaries and removed barriers.
Sport is accessible pretty much anywhere at any time on some sort of digital platform, meeting the demands of the consumer, generating interest and I believe slowly confirming that the sports industry is a big market and developing rapidly. From a marketing perspective it's all about delivering more content and beeing closer to the action.
World Rugby for example, the world governing body, use technology to allow fans into the control room of international matches. Referees' microphones and cameras installed in the TMO's studio give fans previously unparalleled access to the inner-workings of the officials' high-pressure adjudication decisions.

However, there is much more about digitalisation in sports as there are many more opportunities for it's application; from marketing and media, to performance, health & fitness to managing sports organisations more efficiently.
Digital technology is improving enterprise performance in game-changing ways. According to a recent Harvard Business School report, digitalization—the integrated use of analytics, big data, the cloud, the Internet of Things (“IoT”), mobile, and application development—is driving change at unprecedented rates. 

Nico Rosberg, Formula One’s world champion in 2016, is now championing sustainable technology in the fight against climate change. 
It has been three and a half years since Nico Rosberg reached his goal as a racing driver by claiming his first Formula One championship with Mercedes. Following two decades in the pit lane, it was in that single moment towards the end of 2016 that he decided his racing career was complete, and that the time had come to turn his attention to a whole new adventure.
An early investor in Formula E, the all-electric racing series which launched in 2014, the German-Finnish driver saw a natural pathway into sustainable innovation and to support the “race-to-road” transfer of technologies that motorsport can offer. Setting his sights on a new life goal, the 34-year-old last year launched the annual Greentech Festival, which is held in Berlin and works to promote green technology and cleaner forms of mobility alongside Formula E’s stopover in the German capital.
After the disruption that the Covid-19 outbreak has caused to the racing calendar, Rosberg says there are “positives to be taken from this negative period”, particularly in the ongoing battle against climate change. In response, the 2020 edition of his Greentech Festival, scheduled for 16th to 18th September, will be held both as a physical and virtual event, as the industry adapts to new travel restrictions and social-distancing measures brought on by the pandemic.
Speaking during the latest edition of the Blackbook Motorsport Direct virtual event, Rosberg shared his views on why now is a critical moment in the effort to limit the impacts of climate change and outlined the ways in which motorsport can play a pivotal role.  

Why Rosberg invested in sustainability?
"I have two small kids now and studied psychology for ten years while I was in Formula One, and the key learnings I have taken is that it’s really beneficial to spend more and more time in a life of service to others. 
This was a decision that I took and, in my second life now, after Formula One, even more so, I want to develop that path and, through some coincidence, that path merged with sustainability. 
That is also thanks to the fact that, in e-mobility, there is such a huge opportunity now to have a positive impact. I am very proud of the projects that I have worked on so far, and I want to inspire my kids as well."

Rosberg on…the challenges faced by climate change
"I met Sir David Attenborough not too long ago and he clearly said to me that we are now in the eleventh hour for our planet and for our civilisation. This is a huge threat and the decisive decade to achieve the Paris Agreement goals to limit climate change to 1.5°C.
We need to do this all together and especially for the next generation – that is super critical. I think that this coronavirus period will accelerate this process because it has made us aware of how vulnerable we are and it has given me the feeling that I want to do more for others and to care more. 
This is what’s accelerated within me and I am sure has done the same for everybody else. There is always a positive within such a big, negative crisis."

The challenges of leaving Formula One
"There were many challenges. When I stopped driving in Formula One, I went into a void. I had not planned it. As a Formula One driver, I was always 100 per cent committed to simply winning that next race and to win that championship. That spanned 20 years of my life.
Suddenly, having reached my goal, it felt like the best moment to move on and presented me with a life challenge, to find a new purpose and to get engaged in something new. The best thing I did was to speak with a lot of people and found bits of inspiration that brought me down this path.
I have always been hyper focused – that was one of my strengths as a driver. Everything else didn’t exist. It’s only after Formula One that I began to open my horizons and became more aware of this huge climate threat and it has really inspired me and has become the centre of my purpose now as an entrepreneur."

The significance of the Greentech Festival
"The Greentech Festival is my lighthouse project. I founded it last year, it coincides with the Formula E race in Berlin, and has made me so proud. It has had such a great resonance and has been a big success, with more than 30,000 participants at the event in collaboration with Formula E.
It really is a platform for thought leaders and visionaries around green technologies to come together for a huge conference and awards ceremony, and all within a festive atmosphere. I didn’t think I would ever get back to the intensity I experienced in Formula One but here we are.
​As an early investor in Formula E, I am proud to be part of its growth and success. I then went to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and, though 50 per cent of the technology is green tech, I noticed there was no specific area for green tech. I thought that this is an opportunity to make the “green-tech platform” and why not do it with Formula E, because there is such a synergy between the two."

The transition away from combustion engines
"In terms of performance, the swing isn’t too big because it is only going to be better in some ways as we naturally progress towards electric vehicles. Of course, as a technology, it is disruptive for manufacturers. In Germany, and with Tesla leading the way, and the work that Elon Musk is doing there, the guy has singlehandedly transformed an entire industry.
I do believe that he is two or three years ahead in terms of technological development compared to the rest of the German car manufacturers, and particularly around the whole battery system and battery performance. It’s not an easy one to catch up with but I always believe in our industry, so we will eventually get there.
Can Formula One and motorsport truly be sustainable ?"It’s impossible because, to be truly sustainable, you would need for all of us to live in a cave. However, we can go a very long way and come very close to that, which is what Formula One has set out to do. I am the biggest fan of Formula One and always will be, and I am proud because my sport is going emissions free from 2030, with all events becoming sustainable from 2025."
What I am also proud of is that race-to-road transfer of technology that Formula One has historically contributed to. One mustn’t forget that the hybrid powertrain in the Formula One car is today a more efficient powertrain than a fully electric, which often is still charged with 60 per cent coal energy in many countries. 
So, that makes the Formula One car more efficient when you look at global emissions and the overall global footprint. We’re all benefitting from that.
Formula One's spending cap and its impact on sustainability initiativesIn terms of sustainability this is great. It is only going to reduce the number of personnel in the factories and the volume of wind-tunnel testing, so everything is going in the right direction. It’s important because everybody in the world needs to make this a priority and therefore motorsport also needs to make it a priority.
Both Formula One and Formula E are doing that, so this is fantastic news. There still remains a logistical issue, which is a huge problem. You can’t just make that go away, so Formula One will also be offseting some of that through credible compensation programs.
The next big challenge is the future of synthetic fuels and biofuels and how they can get make the whole aviation sector greener and, again, Formula One is going to play a crucial role in pushing the development of such technologies in the coming years. 
Using sport to raise consumer awareness around climate change I do think that sports, and in particular their large viewership and fanbase, can help to shift the consumer mindset and make people aware of the huge issue that we’re facing in climate change – to raise awareness and get everyone involved in the topic. 
Within soccer, for example, all it would take is for all the players to join together on a platform and raise awareness and to kick off a huge wave of interest. Every sport has a role that it can play and that includes motorsport in its own unique way.
For me, as an influencer as well, there is the potential for me to do that. That is part of my purpose, to inspire my two young girls to take up a life of service and I hope to inspire anyone who follows me to dedicate a part of their life to doing better for others, for our society, and for our environment."