Sports comparisons are not without risk, even at the Hessian Entrepreneur Day in the Kurhaus Wiesbaden.

Eintracht Frankfurt has only got eight points from the last nine Bundesliga games.

But that was certainly not suspected when the state of Hesse and the Association of Hessian Entrepreneurs' Associations (VhU) decided to put the first Entrepreneur Day after the pandemic under the motto football and "With sportsmanship to new competitive strength!" - and among others to invite the Eintracht board member Axel Hellmann as the main speaker.

Falk Heunemann

Business editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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VhU President Wolf Matthias Mang did not want to be clouded by such daily performances anyway: "constant optimization and performance improvement", that is what companies and football clubs have in common.

And also the realization that one should never rest on the successes of the past.

Even more than in the past, entrepreneurs and athletes need the courage to try out new things instead of relying on technology leadership.

He would like the "spirit of a more playful and at the same time steady improvement for us Hessians and Germans", said Mang, and "a rejection of mediocrity"

Bouffier calls for more innovation

Whether he related this to business and politics in general or more specifically to the Frankfurt Eintracht and the German national team, it was up to the 700 guests to interpret this, according to the VhU.

Even Volker Bouffier apparently no longer wants to cling to the traditional.

The Christian Democrat and Prime Minister of Hesse called for more innovations and modernization of the state, only then would Hesse become "future-proof".

"The greatest transformation for society and the economy is climate protection," emphasized Bouffier.

In order to cope with this upheaval, however, he primarily relies on an openness to new technologies.

“More innovation instead of intervention”, that should be the motto.

At least at the umbrella organization of Hessian entrepreneurs, he met with open ears: "Our country must have the courage to use the opportunities afforded by freedom to future complex challenges instead of responding with bans," said Mang.

However, the Entrepreneur's Day was not entirely without rigor: only those who had been vaccinated or recovered (2-G rule) were allowed to enter the Kurhaus on Tuesday evening, remove their mask, maintain contacts and celebrate.

Rules and prohibitions, it seems, can sometimes make a lot possible.

In addition to the speeches, prizes were also awarded: 88 companies had applied for the title of "Hessen Champion", three were selected and honored in Wiesbaden by Mang, Bouffier and Hesse's Minister of Economic Affairs, Tarek Al-Wazir (The Greens).