This includes the timely booking of flights and transfers for arrival and departure as well as the booking of accommodations. The accommodation should not be booked as a hotel, but as a holiday apartment, in order to be able to carry out coordination and meetings and to promote group solidarity. The budget must be considered at all points. Public transport should be used on site.

On this point, it should be noted that Maik Johnke, who was mainly responsible, was absent at short notice. However, the transfers around the arrival and departure went as planned. After initial difficulties, the public transportation system was well managed.

The loft that we booked was perfect in terms of equipment and facilities. The location would have certainly been better in Manhattan, for example, than in New Jersey. Due to the budget this was not possible.

In order to get an overview of the sights and cultural facilities, a list of 18 locations was drawn up in advance. Short descriptions and costs were listed. A list of restaurants with recommendations from the network of MBA students was also compiled. The decision for the exact program was made on site in order to be able to react flexibly to dates and weather.

As cultural events, we visited the Memorial 9/11 Museum, the Rockefeller Center and a popular jazz club. Additionally, we dined at a few restaurants from the recommendation list. During the company visits, some great views of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty could be seen. Or cross the Brooklyn Bridge on foot. On the way to the company appointments we passed some landmarks like the One World Trade Center, Wall Street and Central Park.

The late feedback from the companies challenged the group to get everything under one roof. Often it was only possible to plan from day to day. The inconsistent weather also demanded absolute flexibility.

One can therefore speak about agile project management. This was implemented very well as a result, but at times it seemed somewhat unstructured for individuals. Meetings were usually scheduled the evening before for the next morning and recorded accordingly.

This agile way of working is very dynamic and exhausting and therefore not comparable to a normal travel program. After all, it was not a holiday trip, but rather an educational excursion in which we had to comply with external guidelines.