Industry Mentors give top students a 'taste of real life'

As part of the Bachelor programs at MODUL University Vienna, exceptional students have the opportunity to get first-hand industry experience under the wing of a leading industry representative through MU’s Mentoring Program.

Intended for students entering their last year to get a “taste of the real life” experience with direct contact to managers and senior management, those who have consistently shown initiative and kept up good grades throughout their studies are specially selected for the program and invited to participate in this unique opportunity. The program is tailor-made for each student as the students can express their field of interest and mentors are searched for accordingly. This year, 12 students made the cut and presented their final project work over two afternoons with mentors, faculty, and friends in attendance.  

Monday, April 11^th:

Ivan Bielik: "Driving direct bookings: problems and solutions". Mentor: Ms. Sophie Von Tresckow, JJW Austria & Europe - Grand Hotel Wien, The Ring, & Team.
Ivan took a digital marketing focus in his time in the Sales and Marketing department at one of Vienna’s most prestigious hotels, looking at how the hotel could increase direct bookings through their own website and to avoid the commissions incurred through third-party websites.

Nicole Bluschke: “Rebranding Sofitel Vienna - How can the department structure and training program be adapted in order to implement and change the mind-set of the ambassadors?" Mentor: Mrs. Diana Ketting, Rooms Division Manager, Sofitel Vienna Stephansdom
Nicole envisioned a new structure on how to train new employees, aka Sofitel Ambassadors, to more effectively promote the Sofitel brand.

Nicole Börner: ‘’MRP hotels - Employee Satisfaction Survey”. Mentors: Mag. (FH) Martin Schaffer, Managing Partner, MRP Hotels, & Mr. Roman Tkaczenko, MA, Senior Consultant
Nicole helped developed the questionnaire for an employee satisfaction survey at hotels consulted by the MRP group and implemented it using the Qualtrics online survey tool. ‘’This was a real hands-on project for Nicole, and we will use the questionnaire as a basis for the upcoming years to see the development,’’ said her mentor Mr. Tkaczenko.

Georgy Charkseliani: “What hotel market reports depict - figures' source comparison to the governmental data’’. Mentors: Mag. (FH) Martin Schaffer, Managing Partner, MRP Hotels, & Mr. Roman Tkaczenko, MA, Senior Consultant
Georgy also did his mentorship at MRP Hotels, focusing on comparing hotel benchmarking data released by commercial databases and governmental organizations in Vienna, Berlin, Munich and Zurich. ‘’The mentors made everything simple and clear, and I could approach them and really talk to them at any time,’’ says Georgy of his experience.

Matthias Schwindl: “Benchmarking for brand performance: MQ and other cultural districts". Mentors: Mag. Michael Duscher, Head of Communications, Deputy Director, MuseumsQuartier Wien, & Barbara Pölz, MA
Matthias compared Vienna’s MuseumsQuartier cultural district to similar districts in other world cities through an online benchmarking analysis and made recommendations for ways that MQ could improve brand recognition.

Michael Winkler: "Project development survey on hotel room size". Mentors: Dkfm. Michael Widmann, Managing Partner, PKF hotelexperts GmbH & Ms. Andrea Bastel
Michael did a project development survey on room number and size standards, making a comprehensive analysis of 20 predominant hotel groups in Europe. Mr. Widmann was proud of his mentee: ‘’We were extremely happy with Michael – if he decides to go into consulting, our door is open and we would hire him!’’

Click here to read Part 2 of the Industry Mentoring Program Presentations!