LUKOM Ludwigshafener Kongress- und Marketing-Gesellschaft mbH and Marketingverein Ludwigshafen e.V. invited guests to the "Stadtgespräche Spezial" on Thursday, November 27, 2025. The event was hosted by the Ludwigshafen University of Business and Society and the Graduate School Rhein-Neckar (GSRN), a subsidiary of the university.
University President Prof. Dr. Gunther Piller welcomed the guests to the campus and briefly introduced the university and its profile. "The university focuses on economics and social and healthcare sciences," said the President. For companies and civil society or public institutions, there is a whole range of forms of cooperation that would benefit both sides - from guest lectures and practical projects to cooperative research. According to Gunther Piller, an important contribution of the university to the region is securing skilled workers.
Managing Director Ralf Blasek then referred to the further qualification of specialists and managers through extra-occupational certificate courses and master's programs in his brief presentation of the GSRN. Prof. Dr. Gerhard Raab then presented the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory and its equipment. "The main question is: What can we do for you as a company?" he started the presentation and showed various possibilities of use: from homepage and route optimization using eye tracking to the use of age simulation suits for device or automotive development to bio- and neurofeedback in purchasing processes. Prof. Dr. Jutta Rump, head of the university-affiliated Institute for Employability IBE, then gave a video insight into the large joint research project EMPOWER and in particular into the area of "New Work" being worked on by HWG LU. She presented an analysis tool that can be used to determine the entrepreneurial and individual "maturity level" of New Work, the New Work Toolbox, a database solution for documenting the project results, and two rooms at the HWG LU that have been furnished according to New Work criteria. According to Rump, the New Work hub is complemented by cooperation with model companies and the "Transfer Journey", an informative roadshow through Rhineland-Palatinate.
Afterwards, the participants of the network meeting were able to gain a personal impression of the two New Work experimentation rooms "Ideenwald" and "Wellenwerk", which companies can rent free of charge, as well as the Behavioral Science Research Laboratory.
A highlight of the network meeting was the farewell of Lord Mayor Jutta Steinruck from the Marketing Association, of which she had previously been Chairwoman. "I would like to congratulate the university on its beautiful new campus, where we are meeting today. I believe we have succeeded in bringing the university and the city closer together in recent years," said the Lord Mayor as she bid farewell. She mentioned numerous joint projects such as the award-winning "Workplace of the Future" program of the city administration and IBE or the two hackathons on the topic of "Innovative business models for the digital future". She also thanked the marketing association: "Among other things, the marketing association collects donations for the city. Without it, many attractive events such as the carnival parade would not take place." LUKOM Managing Director Christoph Keimes also thanked Jutta Steinruck for the many years of good cooperation within the marketing association.
