Events

The WIFU patron session takes place twice a year and is aimed at the patrons of the WIFU Foundation. The event provides concise information on the foundation's current work, funded institutions and projects, as well as the latest research findings on family businesses and the families behind them. Changes in the circle of patrons are also announced: new patron personalities are introduced and formally welcomed.

Each session has a focal theme, which is explored in depth through experiential reports from the steering committee and scientific findings. In discussion formats, participants jointly reflect on the content and develop individual solutions for their families and businesses.

The one-day trustee meeting in spring will take place in the vicinity of Witten. The two-day autumn meeting will be held at a family business from the WIFU trustee network. Both trustee meetings will be conducted as in-person events.

Since 2017, the WIFU Foundation has organised the WIFU@MidGen Trustee Meeting twice a year, an event format for the „Young Professionals“ of WIFU trustees. These already „mature“ successors are given the opportunity to exchange ideas on an equal footing and discuss specific everyday challenges. The requirement for participation is to hold a management position in the company or on a supervisory board. The event takes place in person.

The WIFU Foundation organises its own event once a year for the successors of WIFU beneficiaries: the WIFU@NextGen Beneficiary Meeting. Thematic focus is on the issues currently affecting the younger generation. These often concern questions of identity and decision-making at the start of or after completing studies regarding the „right“ career choice. Within this framework, questions about roles in the family business and the family, as well as participation in operational management or activities on supervisory or family boards, are also discussed.

The WIFU@SenGen trustee meeting is aimed at family members who are ready for handover. In face-to-face meetings held several times a year, the challenges of letting go of their previous roles in the family business or entrepreneurial family are reflected upon. Participants bring personal and existential questions that are currently occupying them to the meetings. These then become the subject of in-depth processing („peer group coaching“).

With the WIFU Family Business Exchange Forum, we are creating a confidential space for cross-industry dialogue on current challenges affecting entrepreneurial families and their businesses.

The topics are not predetermined but arise situationally, such as through crises, special developments, or issues that affect many people simultaneously. Accordingly, the meetings do not take place at fixed intervals but whenever there is an urgent need for exchange and joint reflection.

The „Entrepreneurial Family Management“ working group is aimed at those who take on a „caretaker“ role in their entrepreneurial family. Participants will receive insights from research, practical solutions, and concrete exercises to address specific issues. „Peer group coaching“ takes place through joint discussions. The selection of focus topics is always guided by the participants' wishes and current challenges. In addition to the face-to-face events, which take place twice a year, online meetings are now also held twice a year.

The „Digitalisation in Family Businesses“ working group examines digitalisation processes within family businesses. The focus is on the „digitalisation of the business“ rather than the „digitalisation of the entrepreneurial family“. The working group is aimed at digitalisation officers/CDOs and representatives of senior management. As part of a ‘Digital Deep Dive’ format, the main emphasis is on intensive interaction between participants and experts, as well as the development of concrete solutions to specific issues. Key topics covered at previous working group meetings have included: family influences on digitalisation dynamics in family businesses, organisation and digitalisation, and business model innovation. The event takes place once a year in conjunction with the Digitalisation Symposium.

The working group „Sustainability in Family Businesses“ offers WIFU sponsoring personalities the opportunity for structured exchange and mutual learning on the topic of sustainability activities in companies and families. The event takes place every two years together with the Sustainability Symposium at the University of Witten/Herdecke.

This working group provides an exclusive forum for reflection and exchange for non-family members in top management (board, executive management) of family businesses within our sponsoring network. Current strategic and operational leadership issues will be discussed intensively in a peer coaching format.
Twice a year, participants come together to discuss challenges in succession planning and in dealing with the entrepreneurial family. The focus is on sharing experiences, solutions, and best practices.

The format is exclusively aimed at external senior managers. It is not intended for members of the entrepreneurial families themselves.

The WIFU Matinée is a compact, one-hour dialogue format that explains current issues in family business research in an understandable and practical way. In regularly changing themed editions, we address key developments, new scientific findings, and relevant challenges within the context of family businesses and entrepreneurial families.

The focus is a 60-minute moderated talk with distinguished experts in family business research. The audience will gain insights into the latest studies and perspectives – scientifically sound, generally understandable, and with a clear connection to entrepreneurial practice.

A special feature of the WIFU matinee is the interactive exchange: as part of each matinee, there is an opportunity to ask questions, share experiences, and engage in direct dialogue with the researchers. This creates a lively transfer of knowledge between science and practice.

WIFU Lunch & Learn is an informal, open online format held at lunchtime, where current research ideas, projects, and work-in-progress from family business research are presented and consistently discussed with regard to their practical application. The focus is on theories and theoretical models relating to family businesses and entrepreneurial families that can be directly transferred to entrepreneurial practice – always with an eye on the question of what concrete benefit they provide for everyday business.

The core of the format is active dialogue between science and practice: participants gain early insights into ongoing work, ask questions, contribute their own experiences, and jointly assess how research findings can be practically utilised.

The WIFU Lunch & Learn is aimed at female and male scientists, female and male practitioners, and anyone interested in current developments and practice-relevant research perspectives on family businesses.

The WIFU Foundation is presenting its digital knowledge world in a new online format: the 60-minute “Knowledge Safari’ offers a guided virtual tour of its new website.
At the heart of the platform is the extensive online library, containing over 800 publications – including practical guides, studies, podcasts and videos. This diverse range brings together scientifically sound insights into family businesses and entrepreneurial families – presented in a practical format and available free of charge.

The event is aimed at a wide audience from the fields of practice, academia and consultancy who wish to quickly grasp in-depth content and apply it directly in their day-to-day professional lives.