The academic year 2023/24 at the Department of Marketing & Sales was a year full of outstanding achievements, innovative projects, and exciting events. We proudly look back on a year marked by successes. Here are some highlights:
Brilliant Performance at the European Sales Competition
Our master's students Sarah Fuchs and David Hafner delivered top performances at this year's European Sales Competition in Finland, showcasing our department on the international stage. A big thank you also goes to the coaches Stephan Heckmann and Ursula Haas-Kotzegger for their dedicated support. We are especially excited to host the European Sales Competition 2025 at our university in Graz and welcome international sales talents! 
Event Highlights of the Year
The event series “Best of Marketing & Sales” was once again a great success this year. Under the motto “Me in My Bubble”, the event provided deep insights into consumer behaviour in the digital age.
The alumni event “Together Again” was another highlight. Former students had the opportunity to reminisce, reconnect with old contacts, and forge new ones. During this event, the newly introduced mentoring programme was also presented, which connects experienced professionals with current students. 
Scientific Recognitions
At the 53rd EMAC Conference in Bucharest, René Hubert Kerschbaumer presented two of our research projects. This conference offered an excellent platform for international exchange and valuable feedback on our research findings. 
At the 17th Research Forum of Austrian Universities of Applied Sciences at IMC Krems, our researchers presented exciting results on the studies "Online reviews as a means to break the taboo in e-mental-health services" and "Influence of AI-based personalization of the customer journey on purchase satisfaction – a managerial perspective."
Our department was also delighted to win the 2023 research award from CAMPUS 02 University of Applied Sciences.
We are proud that our Department Head, Ursula Haas-Kotzegger, has been awarded the FH Professorship this year. This honour recognises her outstanding achievements in research and teaching. 
Practical Experiences and International Perspectives
Our students once again completed exciting and challenging internships, some even internationally. Companies such as Pankl Racing Systems, Ringana, Glock, Henkel CEE GmbH, L’Oréal, 3 Zinnen in South Tyrol, and KNAPP AG in the USA provided our students with valuable insights into the professional world.
The semester abroad allowed our students to gain international experience in countries such as Portugal, Spain, and Romania, broadening their horizons. 
Innovative Learning through Market Research Projects
Another highlight was the market research projects that our students carried out in collaboration with renowned companies. These projects allowed students to apply their theoretical knowledge in practice and gain valuable insights into real business processes. Partners such as umdasch, Jugend am Werk, or Wiener Städtische presented exciting challenges to which our students developed innovative solutions and strategic recommendations.
Continuing Education as a Key to Success
For the fifth time, we celebrated the completion of the academic course "Retail Management." The positive feedback and high commitment of the participants show how essential such continuing education offers are for continuous professional development and encourage us to continually expand and improve our educational offerings.
In the academic year 2023/24, the certificate course "Digital Sales Expert" also celebrated its premiere. This course is designed to specifically deepen the digital competencies of our participants and meets the demands of the modern labor market.