Final Enricher Hubs Wrap-up Meeting at MCI Innsbruck

Train the trainers program on sustainability in tourism

From October 6-8, 2026 MCI | The Entrepreneurial School® hosted the Enricher Hubs Wrap-up meeting in Innsbruck, Austria. Enricher Hubs is an Erasmus+ funded Ulysseus satellite project. Under the lead of Haaga-Helia University of Applied Sciences together with the University of Genova and MCI as European partners, Telavi State University, Caucasus University and Akaki Tsereteli State University in Georgia and University of European Political and Economic Studies, Comrat State University and Moldova State University in the Republic of Moldova have carried out a capacity building train the trainers program on sustainability in tourism through the application of Service Design. The 3-year project is now coming to an end and the last face-to-face meeting took place in Innsbruck.

On the first day Prof. Dr. Birgit Bosio, the project manager of Enricher Hubs at MCI Tourism officially welcomed all partners including the presentation of Prof. Dr. Oliver Som of the MCI Innovation Hub with the focus on Sustainable Entrepreneurship & Impact as one of the eight Ulysseus Innovation Hubs. Research in the hub concentrates around Entrepreneurship education, Entrepreneurial & Innovation Ecosystems, Digital Entrepreneurship and Entrepreneurship in Tourism & Family Firms. Dr. Regina Obexer, head of the Center of Responsible Management and Social Impact introduced the diverse sustainability initiatives happening at MCI at an institutional level, but also in all the study programs including extra-curricular MCI badges, responsibility in various research areas, sustainability events.

This was followed by presentations on exploitation and sustainability in action by all six universities of their plans for implementation, providing an opportunity to exchange experiences, discuss challenges and identify further opportunities for collaboration. Partners then contributed feedback and recommendations to support the development of the “New approaches to sustainable tourism Report”. The discussions highlighted the value of continued cooperation, knowledge exchange and joint efforts towards sustainable and impactful outcomes. The social program included a city tour of Innsbruck and a dinner in the Austrian Ecolabel certified traditional restaurant Goldenes Dachl introducing the participants to Tyrolean hospitality.

On the second day partners were welcomed at MCI Tourism by the head of school Prof. Hubert Siller. In the morning, the participants worked on the final dissemination report, future collaboration of the six hubs and created various ideas for shared activities throughout the project duration. Before lunch  Nicole Ortler presented the Center of Sustainability at Tirol Werbung and Theresa Geißel shared insights into how Innsbruck Tourism as one of the 34 Tyrolean tourism associations tries to put sustainability from strategy into practice. This gave participants the opportunity to learn how local stakeholders approach sustainable tourism, promote regional destinations, and integrate sustainability into tourism development.

In the afternoon partners took the cable-car up to Nordkette for a field visit focused on local sustainable tourism. This experience allowed them to explore the destination first hand and reflect on how regional best practices can inspire sustainable solutions in other destinations.

On the last day, Rector Prof. Dr. Andreas Altmann welcomed the whole delegation. The day focused on the final reporting and ideation session for the continuity of the collaboration throughout the project duration. In a final conclusion session, the whole project duration with highlights and pain points were reflected. After a final joint lunch by Feld:schafft another field trip was organized for participants visiting the second most visited sight of Austria, the Swarovski Kristallwelten. This example showed how a museum of this scope can apply sustainable practices and get certified as a Green Museum.

The whole event was certified by Green Events Tirol. The criteria include

• Environmentally conscious mobility — encouraging our participants to travel by public transport or walk, where possible.
• Sustainable catering — prioritising regional, seasonal, and vegetarian/vegan food options while cutting out unnecessary single-use products. Special thank you to Futterkutter, Feld:Schafft, Restaurant Goldenes Dachl and Seegrube.
• Waste prevention and separation — reducing waste at source, providing clear sorting options, and cutting out disposable materials.
• Responsible use of resources — using existing infrastructure consciously and avoiding unnecessary consumption of energy, and water providing MCI branded water bottles and informing participants about the high quality of drinking water in Innsbruck.
• Social responsibility and accessibility — creating an inclusive and accessible experience for all participants.
• Communication and awareness — making sustainable choices visible and encouraging everyone to contribute. Special thank you to Innsbruck Tourismus, Tirol Werbung, Swarovski and Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen Betriebs GmbH.