Grit Project 2016
In February 2016, the fourth edition of the Amsterdam Center for Entrepreneurship’s (ACE) Grit Project took place. Together with a number of experts, 28 students from the Amsterdam University of the Arts, among other institutions, took on the challenge: to devise a solution withing 48 hours for an entrepreneurial problem conceived by four external clients.
Students from the minor cultureel ondernemen (minor in cultural entrepreneurship) of the Reinwardt Academy acted as the client, together with the Lloyd Hotel. The assignment was to design a cultural activity touching on the activities of the hotel concerning the migration debate. Energy supplier Nuon joined in with the request to devise services that respond to a future without energy: ‘Can we continue to exist as energy supplier in a changing market?’ The Melkweg receives 400,000 visitors in its concert halls every year, but does not see the visitor again in its Melkweg Café. The ACE Venture Lab supports those people who are building a new scientific or technical company, but wonder how they can facilitate the growth of start-ups even better.
Enough entrepreneurial problems to rack one’s brains about. The students started working in teams.
Lloyd hotel and Reinwardt Academy
An event in May will offer a solution for clients of the Lloyd Hotel and the Reinwardt Academy. Dutch people and refugees will be brought into contact with each other there. Together they can undertake activities in the hotel; a polaroid of them together is the currency of the day. Teacher Marjan Otter from the Reinwardt Academy is enthusiastic about the ideas presented and is planning follow-up meetings with the team for further elaboration.
Melkweg Café
Lisanne Meijers (student Fine Art in Education), searched with her group for a solution to the falling number of visitors of the Melkweg Café. She devised The Kitchen of Sound: a room in which people could experiement with sounds and where sound is approached in an interactive way; while enjoying a snack and a drink, of course.
Lisanne: “I worked together with Caterina (student Rietveld Academy) and Lars (student Psychology). Our objective was to come up with a feasible idea. My favourite aspect of our concept is that the Melkweg is giving a platform to sound art. You can go to the Stedelijk museum, to Foam photography museum or you can go to the Melkweg museum. The Melkweg has already planned a follow-up meeting with us.”
The winners of the Grit Project ae the inventors of a picnic environment for the Melkweg Café. Summery Vondelpark picnics were the inspiration for this. A fully fledged picnic experience is created with projections, music and space for unstable media; the big advantage is that your picnic is never spoilt by a heavy downpour.