The Corona crisis did not spare the Junior Chamber this year either. This meant that the Hanseatic Conference 2020 (HAKO), planned by the Junior Chamber Gifhorn-Wolfsburg for Ascension weekend, had to be converted at short notice into a digital format – thus creating the very first #OnlineHAKO2020. We, too, participated as members of the Junior Chamber Braunschweig and took away valuable impulses from the workshops and keynotes.
Political exchange with well-known personalities
After the conference was opened by representatives of the Junior Chamber, the Chamber of Commerce, and the mayor of Wolfsburg, a variety of online meetings were available throughout the day. Among others, participants had the opportunity to exchange views on the current Corona crisis and its impact on the economy with Lower Saxony’s Minister of Economic Affairs Dr. Bernd Althusmann and the Vice President of the German Bundestag Wolfgang Kubicki.
In engaging keynotes, both politicians shared their assessments of the crisis and answered questions from the Junior Chamber members. Dr. Bernd Althusmann expects around 50,000 insolvencies in retail and an “economic recovery time” of 10–15 years. Wolfgang Kubicki primarily hoped for a quick return to normality, stressing that “spreading fear” would not help the economy, since “people who are afraid don’t buy.” Both politicians joined the sessions from their private homes on Ascension Saturday, sending a strong signal of political support for the Junior Chamber.
Learning from entrepreneurs – digital talks
For the Junior Chamber as an association of young entrepreneurs and executives, exchanging ideas with other business leaders is always a highlight. For the Online HAKO, Julian Thormählen (CEO of younity and the Vonmählen Group) from Lüneburg and Julia Bösch (founder and shareholder of Outfittery) joined for digital entrepreneur talks.
Founded in 2015, the Vonmählen Group typically sells lifestyle tech accessories from Lüneburg to over 30 countries. Thanks to its global supplier network, the company was alerted early to the Corona crisis and, together with investors, the state of Lower Saxony, and family offices, launched the Younity initiative. In record time, they organized the production of face masks in China, transport to Germany, and distribution to critical institutions. To date, younity has organized over 25 million masks for governments in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Thormählen shared insights “behind the scenes,” attributing their fast “go-live” to streamlined internal compliance.
Before founding Outfittery, an online clothing service for men, Julia Bösch was one of the first employees at Zalando. She gave an exciting glimpse into the founder mindset and the challenges it brings. From the early days when she and her co-founder personally packed men’s clothing boxes, to the entry of investors, and last year’s merger with Modomoto, Bösch reflected on her learnings and confirmed that an “everything is possible” mindset is a prerequisite for success. Today, Outfittery serves about 1 million customers in nine European countries and plans to expand its offering to women in the future.
Company visits – digitally
A popular Junior Chamber format, company visits, also made its way into the Online HAKO. We chose a digital tour of Braunschweig-Wolfsburg Airport, where the managing director provided fascinating insights into tower operations, the fire brigade, and flight traffic. Alongside research aircraft, company flights to Prague, Barcelona, and Moscow are common. The airport can accommodate passenger aircraft with up to 150 passengers, with a range stretching as far as South America and China.
Even the beloved evening program of a Junior Chamber conference was not missing: participants enjoyed a digital wine tasting (with real wine delivered beforehand) hosted by sommelier Susanne Koch, as well as a digital gin tasting.
All in all, it was a very successful first #OnlineHAKO2020, and we would like to thank the Junior Chamber Gifhorn-Wolfsburg and the entire organizing team for their spontaneous commitment.nsatz zur Planung und Umsetzung der ersten Online HAKO bedanken. Wir freuen uns auf die „echte“ HAKO im nächsten Jahr!
