Hailing from German origins, Zeiss is a leading multi-national manufacturer of optical technologies and optoelectronics. Over the years, the company expanded into 4 lines of business -Industrial Quality and Research, Medical Technology, Consumer Markets and Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology across 50 countries. Their range of products expand from innovative varieties of camera and optical lenses, microscopes and microscopy software, binoculars and spotting scopes, eyeglasses, planetariums and dome video-systems, optics for military applications (head tracker systems, submarine periscopes, targeting systems), optical sensors, industrial metrology systems and ophthalmology products.
Zeiss planned to conduct a cross continental hackathon to ensure to draw their ingenuity & technical vision to come up with solutions that impacted & improved the existing technology or the business models of their products. The new aspect to this event was the fact that Zeiss would be hosting the event with Zeiss India at the same time. The cross continental 24 hours hackathon required participants to hack or utilize various products of Zeiss in the field of vision & optics.
Zeiss planned to conduct a cross continental hackathon to ensure to draw their ingenuity & technical vision to come up with solutions that impacted & improved the existing technology or the business models of their products. The new aspect to this event was the fact that Zeiss would be hosting the event with Zeiss India at the same time. The cross continental 24 hours hackathon required participants to hack or utilize various products of Zeiss in the field of vision & optics.
Through the planning of the event, there can be a lot of unexpected and unpredictable issues, which will require last minute solutions. Some of the key issues are as follows:
A total of 150 participants turned up for the event in India, thus making 30 teams of 5. In order to account of necessary contingencies, Zeiss adopted the services of Crossworks, an Experiential Marketing agency based in Bangalore. Their expertise in the field was accompanied with end-to-end consulting and a wide range of product options that was essential for quality event planning.
To promote the necessary functioning of the event, the following contributions were provided by the agency:
Zeiss was introduced to many new talents and these talents had a platform to showcase their ingenuity helping both the company as well as the participants. The first hackathon organized by Zeiss India turned to be a smooth functioning cross-continent event as well.
The participants performed exceptionally, having contributed to the success of the event, with a cash prize of 3 lakh rupees distributed among the winners. Not only does it raise brand awareness through the participants within India, but it also coincides with Zeiss’ business strategy plans.
By having an on-ground support team and keeping the planned activities constantly monitored, Crossworks managed to meet the main objectives of the event, leading to a successful outcome with satisfied participants and visitors.
A cross continental event takes a lot of precise communication to ensure efficient flow for the occasion. Planning serves to be a vital part, that requires knowing the right sources to rely on, to make sure that the job gets done the right way.
Being aware of the issues that could come in the way of the event implies preparing to face them and find alternatives on the get-go. A successful event is proof of the right kind of contingency planning.
Success of the Zeiss Hackathon strengthened the business objectives of Zeiss, having met along with the demands of the event. Having worked with Crossworks previously, this further enhanced the confidence between client and agency.