Berlin - Business Studies School Trip

Day 1 - Flight, Makthalle Neun, Reichstag

Arrive in Berlin and transfer to your accommodation by coach.

Set out to Makthalle Neun (Markethall Nine), an incredible regeneration project. What was once destined to be a chain supermarket was instead transformed into 29 small and medium sized independent businesses, providing over 400 jobs and 12 traineeships. Dedicated to the goal of showing how people can eat and shop differently, it seeks to re-establish small scale food retail and trade in an area that had been dominated by discounted conglomerates. The market mixed specialities from all over the world, showing students the power of globalisation but also producers from the region, showing artisanship and craft businesses such as an in-house brewery. Students can explore diversification with the market offering space for local resident initiatives, education and a project to transform Germany into an alcohol-free drinking culture. A guided tour can educate students about the regeneration of this 1890s building.

Sufficiently fed, head out on a walking tour of Berlin to be introduced to Berlin’s economic landscape. Your expert guide can show students how international corporations and powerful banks sit alongside flourishing service and creative industries.

Finish at the Reichstag. During your 230 metre long ascent of the transparent dome and while in its roof terrace, consider how government influences business decisions, its ability to affect the Market and how it demonstrates leadership and decision making.

Day 2 - Silicon Allee and Ritter ChocoWorld

Today’s focus is technology and business innovation, beginning with a visit to Silicon Allee, Salfuzer. Having worked with businesses including Facebook, IBM, Yahoo and even the US Embassy, Silicon Allee is an integral part of Berlin Start Up Hub, a dynamic network of professionals transforming fledging start-ups with “wild ideas into killer businesses.” Students can deepen their understanding of raising finance, entrepreneurship, different forms of business and expansion. Take a guided tour of their international campus, before exploring the neighbourhood which houses many of Berlin’s impressive tech companies.

This afternoon, visit the flagship store of global chocolate brand Ritter, to explore the importance of brand image, business location and marketing. ChocoWorld at Gendarmenmarkt devotes 10,000 square feet to selling Ritter, its promotional methods up for study alongside some careful product tasting. Students can create their own chocolate bars in a workshop and explore the growth of the business over 100 years in its permanent exhibition. Follow production from ‘tree-to-bar’ and receive a small gift for completing Ritter’s chocolate quiz.

After an evening meal in your accommodation, head out bowling to relax (or compete!)

Day 3 - BMW Motorbikes and KPM Welt

Explore manufacture today with visits to BMW Motorrad Welt and KPM Welt.

At BMW Motorrad Welt, students explore motorbike design and creation. Offering interactive workshops and factory tours, students can see the creation of the iconic motorbikes in real time. Students can explore how BMW has balanced environmental considerations with understanding customers and adapted over 100 years demonstrating the dynamic nature of business.

Continue on to KPM Welt, the oldest craftsman factory still in existence in Berlin. Here, students can use the start to finish production of porcelain as a case study in operational performance, quality control and production processes as well as observe methods for increasing efficiency and productivity. Alternatively, Schultheiss Brewery, which crafts the iconic Berliner Pilsner, could be visited to look at international distribution and globalisation.

Finish today with a visit to the IMAX.

Day 4 - Free time in the Center Potsdamer Platz

There’s one last opportunity to explore business activities in Berlin with free time in the Center Potsdamer Platz. Mixing shops, restaurants, hotel rooms, the Museum of Film and Television and even a Legoland Discovery Center beneath a vaulted roof covering. Testament to the power of business location, the Center Potsdamer Platz turns a former no man’s land after the fall of the Berlin Wall into a modern metropolis.

Fly home and onward transfer to school.