When cities focus on cycling as a key part of urban mobility, they become more liveable and sustainable. The younger European generation understands this well. But how can European local and regional authorities be convinced of the benefits of the Smart Cycling concept?
This was the central challenge presented to more than 90 international exchange students at Windesheim University of Applied Sciences in Zwolle, the Netherlands, as part of the minor International Business Studies.
(picture: Sander Janssens)
Within this minor, students learn to collaborate across cultures on real-life business challenges for actual clients. Each project requires them to develop a marketing communication plan addressing a concrete problem. The MegaBITS Smart Cycling challenge offered an excellent opportunity to do just that.
Although Smart Cycling is a promising concept, its brand awareness among European local and regional authorities remains limited. MegaBITS therefore asked the international business students to create marketing communication plans to promote the concept in six European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Italy, and Spain. The final deliverables will include three distinct marcom strategies for each country, reflecting the diversity of approaches across Europe.
In the second week of September 2025, Wim Dijkstra and Ronald Jorna from the MegaBITS project management team introduced the Smart Cycling concept to the students. After seven weeks of intensive work, on Friday 17 October, 18 student groups presented the first results of their market research to the MegaBITS team. Each group gave a presentation and showcased a poster summarizing their findings.
📄 Download all 18 posters here
The project management team was very impressed with the quality of the initial results and is looking forward to the final presentations of the complete marketing communication plans in December 2025.
The international business students greatly enjoyed this very Dutch cycling challenge. They gained valuable experience working on a real assignment for a real client, deepened their understanding of marketing communication, and learned to collaborate effectively in diverse international teams.