For Germany’s FC Bayern Munich, there are very few firsts that the club has to check off thanks to its illustrious history.
But from Jan. 19-22, for the first time the club will host what it is calling the FC Bayern HackDays to help to create new, innovative fan experiences based around the current German Bundesliga champions.
Bayern Munich in November made the public callout for participation in the event and received 1,300 applications to take part. From there, the soccer club has selected 220 participations from over 40 countries around the world to be part of the hackathon, which will take place in Allianz Arena.
The participants will be divided into 70 individual teams, with between three to five members, and will focus on seven predetermined challenges. Some of these challenges focus on how best to use virtual reality (VR), how to engage Generation Z via mobile and how to create a shared fan experience both in-stadium and out-of-venue. Each of these seven challenges are sponsored by Bayern’s commercial partners, including Telekom, Adidas, Audi, SAP, Siemens and DHL.
During the weekend of activity, Bayern will also be facing Werder Bremen in the league, looking to further extend their lead at the top of the Bundesliga.
All teams will have to present their final ideas on Jan. 22 when winners for each of the seven challenges will be selected. From this seven, a jury consisting of industry experts and executives will then choose one overall winner of the event. The winner will receive a prize package from the club as well as the opportunity for involvement with Bayern Munich.
“Both the number and sheer quality of applicants have exceeded all our expectations,” Stefan Mennerich, Director of Media, Digital and Communication at Bayern Munich, said in a statement. “We are excited about the passion, competence and diversity of the participants of the HackDays from around the world.
“With the FC Bayern HackDays, we are initiating together with our partners a unique platform that brings together diverse cultures, thought and nationalities to create new innovations, all through the shared interest and passion in FC Bayern.”
Meanwhile, during the HackDays event, the city of Munich will also be host to the Digital-Life-Design (DLD) technology Conference. FC Bayern and its event partner TUM, will unveil the concept and results of this first-ever Hackathon from the club and also the winning team. Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, as well as an unnamed player will be in attendance during this session at the tech event, too.
