Organizing Hackathons
Accelerate readiness to innovate with a hackathon!
Develop new solutions and solve a current issue by collaborating smartly and applying Design Thinking. All this at high speed! On this page you can read all about how to organize a hackathon.
Innovation is not just a topic of conversation; it is an experience. By actively involving employees, stakeholders and decision makers in the innovation process, you deepen their understanding and increase their commitment to impending change.
Below you will discover the power of our Hackathons, designed to strengthen the readiness for innovation within organizations and society. Learn how to transform participants’ mindsets, introduce fresh ideas and build a future together where value creation is paramount.
Are you ready to actively engage your teams in your organization’s innovative journey? Then dive into the world of Hackathons and boost innovation!
How does it work?
STUDIO.WHY has been organizing hackathons and other learning experiences at home and abroad since 2015. Participants range in age from 12 to 65, with the most participants being in their early 20s. In doing so, we often see a multiple purpose:
- Contribute to solving a current issue
- Experience how to solve complex issues using design
thinking - Introducing participants to others, increasing their network
and they experience looking at an issue from multiple perspectives;
. - Have a very fun and educational hackathon that you will enjoy for a long time to come;
.
Experience plays a hugely important factor. To achieve that, you need much more than just a process and a challenge. So we dress up the space into a festival-like setting and create a team format, which teams compete against each other. We also lard the program with energizers and a variety of short master classes, support the teams with inspiring coaches, and ensure that they can engage with various stakeholders (stakeholders). All that supported with sophisticated catering and a musical splurge ultimately ensures that you achieve your goals.
Preparation
Thorough preparation is very important in hackathons, in order to respond flexibly to (unforeseen) events. For this, we deploy an Event Lead who prepares the program together with you as the client. In particular, the following components are covered:
- Preparation of program and scripts
- Establish challenges and ensure they are well prepared
- Support communications for participation recruitment
- Provide training for primary coaches (teachers/educators
professionals) - Coordinate with client on stakeholder presence and the
briefing thereof, incl planning - Matching location, decor, furnishings, rest areas
- Coordinate with client on judges, prize for winners and
briefing the jurors - Preparing design shots (mini master classes)
- Coordinate with additional support, such as quickdrawers,
photographer/videographer, energizers - Coordinate with catering (what and when)
- Securing team assignment
- Briefing of the coaches
Sample program
Of course, many forms are possible. To get an idea in advance, here is an outline timetable of a 12-hour in-company hackathon. Each bullet is introduced with a mini master class and guided by facilitators.
from 9 a.m. walk-in
- Grab a cup of coffee, tea and something sweet
- Have a nice chat with your colleagues and let it all sink in
9:30am kickoff
- You will get to know your teammates and the relevant case from within the organization
12:30pm enjoy a delicious catered lunch
- You will engage with various stakeholders to get an even better picture of the issue
- Then it’s time to go into the solutions mode! And not just like that…In a creative way you are going to come up with solution directions that are really going to add value
- We will make sure your creative brain is also fed with some snacks in between;
6:30pm during the delectable dinner seek out your (new) connections
- Finally, everyone gets to present their brilliant concepts to each other. This will be inspiring anyway but can really start to make a difference in the organization
- Of course, there is also plenty of room to catch up and chat over a drink
9 p.m. end
For whom?
- Innovation managers who want to accelerate the innovation readiness of their employees, stakeholders and decision makers
- Event organizers seeking hands-on fulfillment for their events.
- Moderators who want an interactive day for their business associates.
- Sectors such as: Education, Government and Business
Result
The result depends on the goals we set together beforehand.
Here are 7 goals we see more often:
- Learning how to get from question to idea in a short time by applying design thinking principles
- Apply what you have learned directly in daily practice
- Sharing experience and knowledge with colleagues
- Gain personal insights
- Working on a real case study of the organization
- Assist colleagues who bring in a case further
- Meeting and getting to know nice (new) colleagues again during an energetic and fun day!
user cases
What others said about this
Want to know more?
Contact us if you have a question or would like an in-company session tailored to your needs!
After filling out the form, you will be asked to choose a time.
During our initial conversation, we will determine if and how we can help. Then we’ll put together a customized plan for you. Finally, we implement the plan and increase your organization’s innovative power!
“I am Kees, co-founder of STUDIO.WHY. I like to share my knowledge and experience and to organize things and be service oriented. I am socially involved, future-oriented and think in possibilities instead of obstacles.”
