Unilever HIVE

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Together with partner Sandenburg Concept Creation DST provided Unilever with an onboarding and reboarding program for HIVE, their brand new R&D Foods Centre in Wageningen.

Strategic goals

As a part of the R&D Foods Transformation strategic goals, DST provided custom employee programs. In these programs topics like company culture, new work methods, the high ambition level and the innovation pace among employees and future colleagues of Unilever R&D Foods are brought to life.

Inspiring and dynamic

With the relocation of several European branches to Wageningen, HIVE has become an inspiring and dynamic food innovation hub. HIVE is a catalyst for change, and offers the Wageningen Campus ecosystem new insights, innovations and chances to provide honest, healthy and sustainable food products, worldwide. To achieve this, employees who moved to Wageningen needed to be shown around first, before tackling the huge challenges the food industry faces.

Multiple days

In a multiple-day program employees of the three former R&D Foods sites discovered they were now part of the varied, multi-ethnic group of people at Wageningen. A group that is tied together in their passion for inspiring and innovative products. These require interaction and connecting to make them happen.

Result

Reactions to the HIVE reboarding program were enthusiastic. In two months following the move, all 550 employees followed the reboarding program. After that, it was modified to provide an onboarding program for new colleagues, partners, trainees and interns.

VodafoneZiggo Experience Centre

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It was hard to miss the opening of VodafoneZiggo’s new headquarters in Hoog Catharijne, Utrecht. The place-to-be for a company whose place is in the middle of society. Fun and progress in every connection is VodafoneZiggo’s purpose. Their experience centre is the place to help bring that purpose to life, for a multitude of stakeholders, partners, employees and visitors. Which is exactly why VodafoneZiggo put theirs on the first floor of their new offices. Sandenburg Concept Creation and DST were responsible for its concept, design and content.

Experience the Gigabit Society

The VodafoneZiggo Experience Centre is where you’ll experience the impact of our future technological landscape. Or, the Gigabit Society, as VodafoneZiggo calls it. You’ll discover how this affects society, the way we do business, our careers, our work and our lives. You’ll also subtly experience the goals, strategy and values of VodafoneZiggo as an accelerator of technological progress.

Tailor-made programs

The centre has specific programs for diverse target audiences. For B2B-customers there’s a session detailing what the Gigabit Future means for them. VodafoneZiggo employees are taken through its values in an interactive reboarding program. School visitors are made aware of digital technology, digital skills and future professions in the Digital Life program. Co-creation is key for all programs. VodafoneZiggo rarely sends messages. It receives a lot of them, and puts visitors to work in a playful manner.

Interactive sessions

Let’s have a look around in the centre. Warmup is the area where you’ll start your visit. This is where you’ll get to know VodafoneZiggo’s purpose, values and culture. After that it’s off to the Connection Theatre. A brief show in which you’ll experience the Gigabit Future in a multimedia whirlwind of film, projection mapping, mock-ups, laser technology and music. You and your co-visitors are then put to work in the two Future Mapping rooms. Interactive sessions take you through alternating playful work sessions. These form the heart of any visitor program. Visitors are challenged to form their opinions and shape their visions of the future. When it’s all done, you’ll meet up in the Teamup Area, which also doubles as an auditorium and a starting point for large groups.

Result

All VodafoneZiggo employees followed the reboarding program shortly after the opening of the new main office. For new employees a visit to the experience centre is part of their onboarding program. Next to that VodafoneZiggo receives groups of business relations on a daily basis to explain more on the future possibilities of the 5G-network. That translates into lasting business relationships, business expansion from existing relationships and a higher sales conversion rate from prospects.

Design Thinking Centers

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The first Design Thinking Center opened its doors in a former Amsterdam chewing gum factory, in 2016. DST delivered its concept and design. In the three years that followed, over 15,000 visitors visited over 600 sessions there. A great success, prompting owner Nextview to open a second center in 2018, at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. DST provided them with concept, design and build. In 2020 the Design Thinking Center formula went international.

End-user is key

Just to refresh your memory, design thinking is a method in which an end-user of a product, service or process is key. No wonder that the Design Thinking Centers in Amsterdam and Eindhoven are human-centered. Visitors are asked to truly dive into their customer’s problem, in his or her latent desires. That’s what results in better products. Products that truly meet a need, and are wanted.

Stimulating environment

The Amsterdam Design Thinking Center is housed in a former chewing gum factory, within sailing distance from Amsterdam Centraal Station, where visitors are picked up with sustainable Plastic Whale boats. These are also made possible by Nextview. The Design Thinking Center in Eindhoven is located on the High Tech Campus. This is where Philips’ fundamental and applied research departments have been based for half a century. The campus was made accessible to other organizations fifteen years ago, from single-minded start-ups to powerful multinationals. Both locations share their central location, and their inspiring environment supporting and stimulating sessions.

Get going

The light and roomy former factory buildings of the Design Thinking Centers invite visitors to take an open approach to whatever problem is at hand. In a joint session they are introduced to it, and to the day’s program. The adaptable interior of the center then provides all facilities needed for a deep-dive in any subject. Moveable walls, an inspiring though somewhat unusual interior, very functional break-out spaces and a theme matching visitors’ approaches.

Result

Its Design Thinking Centers help Nextview support their customers and prospects to the max, allow prospecting of true customer issues, develop new products and improve on internal processes. They generate new business for Nextview, and play a crucial role in building and maintaining sustainable customer relationships. With 200 tailor-made sessions and 5,000 selectively invited visitors a year each, Nextview is making optimal use of the centers’ potential.