The F&B Challenge 2018 will take place at Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (EHL) from Friday, November 23 to Saturday, November 24. The list of participating schools may be subject to changes, but 6 institutions are expected to take part in the event:

• Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne (Switzerland),
• Institut de Tourisme et d’Hôtellerie du Québec (Montreal),
• Westminster Kingsway College (London),
• The architecture department of Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland),
• Ecole Cantonale d’Art de Lausanne (Switzerland),
• The economics department of University of Lausanne (Switzerland).

The Challenge will take the form of a 24-hour hackathon during which 4 teams of students will create a foodservice concept based on the Chair’s current research topic (see below). Each team will include 1 student from each school, ensuring that all teams have an equivalent skillset. The students will be randomly assigned to one of the 4 teams just before the beginning of the Challenge.
The teams will work together for 24 consecutive hours, during which teambuilding activities and coaching by mentors and experts will help them to get to know each other and develop their ideas. They will be allowed to use any software, book, or other kind of equipment that they want, and should therefore bring any tool they think they might need.

On Saturday, November 24, after the 24-hour work period, each team will have 10 minutes to pitch their concept to an international jury. The winning team will be announced directly after the pitching session and each student of the winning group will be awarded 600CHF.