Since 2016, the communications agency Urban Media Project has been hosting the "Into the Wild" format with the support of the Offenbach Economic Development Agency. It provides students, graduates and potential clients from the business world alike with unexpected insights into the working world and corporate culture of local offices, start-ups, agencies and companies, all of which open their doors as hosts on one day, present themselves and enable exchange and networking directly on site. The host agencies are in the fields of communication, web and product design, architecture as well as games and software development and in their entirety describe the diversity of the industry and Offenbach as a creative location: from established, internationally active advertising and internet agencies to innovative backyard studios, from talented HfG alumni to renowned design luminaries, they are all there.
Open Studios - how it works
The schedule from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. provides for the participating agencies to open their doors to between 20 and 30 interested visitors in a 1.5-hour slot and provide insights into work processes, new projects and possible visions. The result is a so-called "behind the scenes" moment, which is rarely possible in everyday life within the industry. Visitors can put together their own personal timetable from their preferred agencies, register in advance and then visit them in the specified slot.
"Sometimes you need a guide to lead you through the exciting wilderness"
"Even after the settlements from biotechnology, industry, the circular economy in the geo-engineering cluster, the bicycle industry and the stabilization of office use in Kaiserlei, it remains our economic policy goal to have different industries in Offenbach. We also continue to rely on our strong creative scene. To ensure that it remains stable and can continue to grow, we need formats such as Into the Wild, which bring young talent as well as potential clients and people interested in the industry to the agencies. Of course, there are the visible creative clusters such as Heyne- or Hassia-Fabrik, but beyond that, agencies, design offices and studios can be found all over the city - and sometimes you need a guide to lead you through the exciting wilderness and make them visible. And this visibility is enormously important for many," says Lord Mayor Dr. Schwenke, explaining why the city is continuing this element of promoting the creative industries.
Prospective career starters and students can introduce themselves without the rigor of a job interview, casually hand over a CV - and at best leave a lasting impression. For the hosts themselves, this format has a major advantage. "Into the Wild simply lowers the threshold anxiety. People come in here, they have this sense of adventure and they appear in the company of fellow students and friends, which is encouraging," explains Loimi Brautmann, co-founder of Urban Media Project, which launched the Into the Wild format in 2016. "Many conventional applicants have only seen our website or Instagram. If you get to know each other beforehand at Into the Wild, the quality of the next meeting is much higher." Those who don't dare to come out of hiding during the day may have gathered some courage for the evening get-together at "Into the Night". Here, the hosts and audience can informally reflect on the experiences and adventures of the day.
Things get really exciting when large companies go agency scouting
"Into the Wild" is a must-attend event for high school graduates, students and graduates of the local art colleges and design academies in Offenbach, Darmstadt, Frankfurt and Mainz. Design enthusiasts from the wider region, such as Würzburg, Marburg and Mannheim, also came to the Offenbach agencies every year - with the exception of the winter 2020/21 pandemic peak period. In previous years, around 120 visitors attended. The organizers are assuming that places will be fully booked again this year, so prompt registration is strongly recommended. Participation is free of charge.
From the very beginning, Into the Wild was not conceived as a pure recruiting event and addresses not only young talents and design professionals but also companies for which Offenbach agencies offer business solutions in areas such as digitalization, web applications and marketing strategies. Guests from the Offenbach design scene included freelancers from the fields of graphic and motion design, students from Mainz University of Applied Sciences, HfG Offenbach and the Academy of Visual Arts Frankfurt as well as company representatives such as the listed Merck AG or glueckkanja-gab AG. The participants were positively surprised by the spirit and versatility of the Offenbach agency landscape, where they were able to discover both sophisticated graphic design and photography as well as smart "tech agencies" with international client portfolios.
Background
Into the Wild is conceived and realized by the design and communications agency Urban Media Project. The annual event is made possible by the City of Offenbach's economic development department. The Offenbach-based agency has already created new points of contact and connection to urban and city life with related formats such as "Into Design - Festival for Aesthetic City Life", "The Frankfurt Art Experience" and "Eine Stadt zeig sich. Offen", the agency had already created new points of contact and connection to urbanity and city experiences in the context of creative living and working.
Links / Hashtags
Host agencies
Burnthebunny
Office Schramm for design
Cosalux
HDW Partner
Kastner
k-lar
Motion District
müllerritzrow
Sensory Minds
taste
Urban Media Project