DeMontfort University Barcelona Innovation Tour
Developed and implemented an Innovation Tour in Barcelona for a visiting group of students, with a focus on the fashion industry, technology and entrepreneurship.
DeMontfort University
DeMontfort University is a university based in Leicester, UK. I collaborated with DMUWorks, the university’s enterprise center, which is a leader in the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Leicester and around the United Kingdom.
What They Needed
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DMUWorks, the Enterprise Center of DeMontfort University in Leicester hosts regular programs for groups of students to visit hubs and ecosystems around the. world. This year, they were interested in Barcelona, and reached out to enquire about a possible tour.
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In line with their student background and interested, we had organized a 3-Day Innovation Tour, with a focus on entrepreneurship, innovation and the fashion industry. This gave the students a chance to explore Barcelona’s ecosystem, learn from people across various disciplines, and have some fun getting a sense of the city.
How We Collaborated
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The Innovation Tour consisted of a tour of the fashion incubator, Moda22 Makers, and exposure to garment manufacturing and insights from fashion entrepreneurs. Additionally, we discovered material science innovations at Materfad: Barcelona’s Materials Center, and toured notable design school, Bau. Finally, we facilitated a fashion tech workshop with the group, challenging them to create an innovative venture for the fashion industry.
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We developed the program itinerary, coordinated with key partners and collaborators to engage with the students, and organized various logistics to implement the Innovation Tour at different locations throughout Barcelona over the three day program.
The Results
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The group of visiting students, and accompanying professors, were very engaged throughout the program, and were able to learn a lot about the fashion industry, innovations, entrepreneurship, and about the Barcelona ecosystem. The program was very well received, and highly praised.
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The cohort was able to get access and exposure to places and information that is not easily accessible, and given insights into the industry from actively participating stakeholders. The fashion industry can be especially closed off, so it was a real opportunity to have this experience. Also, they of course were able to enjoy the amazing city of Barcelona, but also to see a different side of it as a leading creative and startup hub.
