23
May
InnoDays #ConnectedJourney 2026: 5 challenges, 130+ talents, 48 hours.
May 23, 2026
In Case studies
5 Challenges, 130+ talents, 48 hours: At the “InnoDays #ConnectedJourney 2026”, teams built bold prototypes to close the gaps in Austria’s connected travel experience.
Vienna, May 20th-May 22nd, 2026.
“From idea to prototype in 48 hours” – Under this motto, more than 130 creative minds from WU Vienna, TU Wien, TU Berlin and OST came together at the Co-Innovation Factory to build solutions for more connected journeys across Austrian tourism. Running during the ViennaUp our #ConnectedJourney challenges focused on one shared question: How do we close the gap between regions, providers and platforms — so guests experience one seamless journey from inspiration to the trip home, and providers grow stronger together?
Over 48 hours, interdisciplinary teams moved from first ideas to tested prototypes — supported by 40 mentors, our challenge partners, and a packed program of check-ins and office hours. The result: 24 prototypes and five winning ideas.
Challenges & Winning Ideas
Our participants tackled five real-world innovation challenges, each focused on one piece of the connected-journey puzzle: how guests arrive, where they stay, how regions work together, and how the ecosystem connects.
Inclusive Arrival — by Kärnten Werbung
How might we design an inclusive, stress-free, and seamless travel experience that reliably accompanies guests from their first spark of inspiration through to their journey home?
Team Kärnten Connect won the challenge with an inclusive travel buddy that combines two layers into one seamless system: an AI companion — accessible via WhatsApp or phone call, no app download required — that monitors the journey live and proactively detects problems like broken elevators or missed connections, backed by a human “Arrival Buddy” stationed at key Carinthian rail hubs for the moments when digital help isn’t enough.
Orchestrated Mobility — Vienna Tourist Board, WKO Vienna, Dr. Richard Bus, Columbus Travel
How might we design tourist bus traffic in Vienna so that it runs seamlessly for guests, eases the burden on the city and its residents, and becomes part of future-ready urban mobility?
Team Flow Ring took the category with the most operable solution: a slot-based registration system for tourist buses, paired with LED displays along the Ring that guide drivers to drop-off zones — freed-up curb space that converts into short-term parking. A direct answer to today’s overstretched bus-traffic system.
Sustainable Stay — by CASABLANCA hotelsoftware
How might we use our hotel software to move guests towards more sustainable choices — and give hotels the tools to turn sustainability into value?
Team Green Journey won the challenge by tackling the intention–behaviour gap in sustainable travel. Their green-credits reward system turns sustainable guest actions into points that can be redeemed for perks like drinks, late check-out and other hotel benefits — making the sustainable choice the rewarding one.
Connected Region — by Mastercard, Burgenland Tourismus & feratel
How might we design the Burgenland Card ecosystem to create seamless experiences for guests, opportunities for residents, thriving local businesses, and value creation for the region?
Team burgi convinced the jury as the closest match to the original challenge — a thin orchestration layer that connects the Burgenland Card to the EUDI Wallet and Mastercard. One tap verifies entitlement, applies the regional discount and settles the payment: no cash, no repeated forms, no starting over at every venue.
Open Ecosystem — by Austria Tourism
How might we shape Austria’s tourism ecosystem so travelers experience connected journeys and providers grow stronger together?
Team SEAM won the category with a coordination layer of the same name — Shared Ecosystem Access Mesh — that connects Austria’s existing tourism providers through guest-consented data sharing and EUDI Wallet integration. Rather than building another platform, SEAM lets transport, hotels, and destinations exchange exactly the data a guest approves: one tap at booking, and the hotel is ready, the guest card is active, and the paperwork is gone — without anyone centralizing ownership of the data.
Special Prizes
Beyond the challenge prizes, four teams were recognised with special awards:
– Most impactful idea by Wirtschaftsagentur Wien — Team KAI, for the idea with the greatest potential to make travel more inclusive and accessible.
– Best Startup Idea by Tourism Incubator / tech2b — Team Green Proof, awarded a consultation and a path into the incubator program.
– Highest Business Potential by whataventure — Team E3, for the concept with the clearest path to real business growth.
– Most Motivated Team by GymBeam — Team Reland, for the energy and commitment it brought across the full 48 hours.
A word from our partners
For Stefan Kagel, Chief Digital & Innovation Officer at Austria Tourism, the energy in the room was the headline. “It’s incredible, the energy here,” he said. “At the finale, seeing how impressed the partners were — how satisfied they were with the maturity of the solutions — that’s what makes the InnoDays what they are.”
What stood out to him most, though, was where that energy led. “The best part is when partners don’t just say thank you, but: ‘Now we’re going to keep working with the winning team, because we believe in the solution and we want to make it real.’ You can’t show the industry a better outcome than that.” His advice to companies and destinations on turning ideas into reality: “Try it in a small sandbox and get into implementation. With today’s AI tools and vibe-coding — as the teams showed — the path to a working solution is fairly simple. You just have to dare to try.”
Asked which idea stuck with him, he pointed to the Connected Region concept: “Bringing different card systems and a wallet together into one structure, with a single point of contact — moving the complexity away from the customer and into the system, and solving it there. That’s where things are heading: making it as simple as possible and keeping the complexity away from the guest.”
Thank you to our partners!
Event partners: Austria Tourism, Change Tourism Austria
Challenge partners: Kärnten Werbung, Vienna Tourist Board, WKO Wien, Columbus Reisen, Dr. Richard Bus, CASABLANCA, Mastercard, Burgenland Tourismus, feratel, Austria Tourism
Network partners: ViennaUP & Vienna Business Agency, Tourismusinkubator Oberösterreich, Point&, Vionmo, Ko-Mobile, Zuugle Services
Tool Partner: n8n, lovable
Supporter: Co-Innovation Factory, Gymbeam, Nescafé, Joya, Ströck, myCoffeeCup, Nespresso, Vetain, Almdudler
Universities: WU Vienna, TU Vienna, OST – Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences, TU Berlin
Mentors: including Mario Schönherr, Alexander Waldner, Veronika Ratzinger, Carina Schönsleben-Seiringer, Martin Heppner, Eliot Mannoia
Contributors: Dénes Erdős (Fotos), Alexander Baumgartner (Video), Eliot Mannoia (Moderation)
InnoDays Factbox
– May 20th-May 22th, 2026
– InnoDays brings together talent with organizations to develop innovative solutions to important challenges in 48 hours
– Challenges around the topic of #ConnectedJourney running during the #ViennaUp
– All information and innovation challenges at https://www.innodays.org/connectedjourney26
– Link to all photos
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