Meet. Share. Discuss. Innovate.
ESB International Staff Days 2025
Join our ESB International Staff Days - ’Empowering Minds, Embracing Change’! You’ll have the opportunity to engage with international colleagues, corporate partners and the ESB community, to share experiences, exchange ideas and foster innovation in international higher education.
Our five-day programme will encompass an interesting mix of expert workshops, presentations and focus groups along with an inspiring company visit. You will also discover the city of Reutlingen on foot, experience the vibrant ESB culture during our international campus day and, last but not least, get a taste of the local Swabian culture and cuisine in the festive season.
When: 1–5 December 2025
Where: ESB Business School, Reutlingen, Germany
Who: Colleagues from all functional areas at partner universities - academic and administrative staff, programme directors and coordinators, International Office, Student Services and Career Services staff, Quality Management, PR and Communications, etc.
Programme December 2025
Building 17, lower entrance, rooms U15-U18
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Registration |
| 09:30 – 10:30 | Welcome to ESB Business School and Introductions Marlene Ferencz, Vice-Dean, ESB Business School Carolien van der Hulst, Career Center, ESB Business School |
| 10:30– 11:00 | Baden-Württemberg: The Innovation Hub Paul-David Bittner, Innovation and Economy Team Lead, Cyber Valley GmbH |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Coffee Break |
| 11:30 – 13:00 | Campus Tour and visit to TEXOVERSUM School of Textiles Jochen Strähle, Dean, TEXOVERSUM School of Textiles Michael Goretzky, Professor for Form Design & Digital Design, TEXOVERSUM School of Textiles |
| 13:00 – 14:00 | Lunch |
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Transfer to town (by public transport) |
| 14:30 – 16:00 | Guided City Walking Tour of Reutlingen |
| 18:30 | Informal Get-Together in the City Centre |
Building 17, lower entrance, rooms U15-U18
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Keynote Arian Kozica, Professor for Organisation and Leadership, ESB Business School |
| 10:00 – 10:45 | The Corporate Perspective: Empowering Leaders for the AI-Driven Shift Benjamin Hermann, Managing Director, Zoi TechCon GmbH |
| 10:45 – 11:00 | Coffee Break |
| 11:00 – 12:15 | Finding Your Focus and Owning your Attention Elizabeth Hofvenschiöld Professor for Strategic Management and Corporate Development, ESB Business School |
| 12:15 – 13:00 | Lunch |
13:15 – 13:45 Foyer Building 5 | Knowledge Café Tim Straub, Professor for Management of Digital Technologies Jörg Naeve, Vice-Dean of Academic Affairs, ESB Business School |
| 13:45 – 14:15 | We Help You Grow Franziska Müller, Project management ‘We help. You grow!’, ESB Business School |
| 14:30 – 15:30 | Interactive Group Session Carolien van der Hulst, Career Center, ESB Business School |
| 15:45 – 16:30 | Transfer to Tübingen |
| 16:30 – 18:00 | ChocolART 2025 |
| 18:00 | Welcome Dinner in Tübingen Neckarmüller Tübingen, Gartenstraße 4, 72074 Tübingen |
Building 17, lower entrance, rooms U15-U18
| 09:30 – 11:00 | Focus Group 1: Innovation in International Collaboration Moderation: Yvonne Graf, ESB Business School |
| 11:00 – 11:15 | Coffee Break |
| 11:15 – 12:45 | Parallel Focus Group Sessions Focus Group 3: International Student Recruiting Moderation: Julia Hormuth, ESB Business School |
| 13:00 | International Campus Day with food festival and the opportunity to interact with the ESB community and to arrange individual meetings |
| 08:00 – 09:30 | Company Visit: Transfer to Alfred Kärcher GmbH & Co. KG Meeting point in front of Hotel Württemberger Hof, Reutlingen city centre |
| 09:30 – 13:30 | International Career Opportunities for Students @Kärcher and How Future Trends Shape Job Profiles of Tomorrow Rüdiger Bechstein, Executive Vice President Corporate Human Resources Guided Factory Tour with Lunch Wolfgang Zernickel and Melanie Wiens |
| 13:45 – 14:15 | Transfer to Esslingen |
| 14:15 – 17:45 | Free Time to Visit Esslingen and it’s Medieval Christmas Market |
| 18:00 – 20:00 | Visit to Kessler Sekt with Historical Wine Cellar Tour Georg-Christian-von-Kessler-Platz 12-16, 73728 Esslingen |
| 20:15 | Departure to Reutlingen |
| 09:00 – 12:00 | Individual Meetings and Departure |
This event is free of charge for colleagues from partner universities of ESB Business School. Accommodation and travel expenses are to be paid by the participants. Please check if your home university can provide you with Erasmus+ funding for staff mobility.
We recommend that you arrive in Reutlingen on Sunday 30 November and depart on Friday 5 December.
| Closest airport: | Stuttgart Airport (There is a direct bus connection from the airport to Reutlingen city centre) |
| Closest train station: | Reutlingen main station (Reutlingen HBF) |
| Accommodation: | We have a block reservation in two Reutlingen hotels. Details will be provided upon receipt of your registration for the event. |
Should you require any further information, do not hesitate to contact joanne.corlett@reutlingen-university.de.
