Students presented a tourism product for the MAMA Hackathon with YesMilano

This year’s Hackathon, run by the Master in Arts Management and Administration (MAMA), partnered with the YesMilano agency to challenge students to enhance the new City Pass product. The goal was to inspire students to innovate a product capable of influencing tourist flows within the City of Milano and promoting new routes and discoveries using the City Pass.

“From theory to practice, MAMA students applied the skills they had developed in the classroom to respond to the needs of Milan, a city experiencing rapid tourism growth,” said Piergiacomo Mion Dalle Carbonare, MAMA Coordinator. “Many cities are facing the challenge of mitigating negative impacts, including through policies that influence tourist behavior.”

YesMilano, the marketing agency of the City of Milan, recently introduced the City Pass, a digital product offering tourists the city’s top attractions and public transportation in one pass at a discounted rate. Students were tasked with expanding this offer by developing a new product linked to the City Pass to divert tourist traffic from the city center to neighborhoods just beyond.

Cristina Mottironi, MAMA Faculty, remarked “Thanks to YesMilano and Vox, their technology partner, MAMA participants were put to the test, facing a real-life challenge that required them to work on cultural attractions and various neighborhoods in Milan. Through the hackathon, they explored ways to maximize the benefits of tourism for the city, applying skills developed in the classroom to a real destination management project.”

But this was no simple group work, it was a marathon: teams of MAMA students had 24 hours to develop their proposals before pitching them to YesMilano managers. The process involved benchmark analysis of other city passes, evaluating the current city pass context, and providing examples of their proposed product.

The students presented their proposals at the YesMilano premises, showcasing a wealth of creativity and innovation.  Discussions focused on enhancing city pass sales through improved personalization, understanding the target audience, and leveraging post-experience engagement. The students explored new areas of product development, such as event hubs, partnerships with influencers and local businesses, and targeting new demographics, like young families and students, while adhering to the under-40 target requirement.

While YesMilano managers offered feedback and announced the hackathon winners, they appreciated the students' focus on user experience, personalized itineraries, and exploration of new opportunities.

Olimpia Vianini Tolomei, Marketing & Production Specialist at YesMilano, commented “We gained valuable insights for both product development and city promotion. You are user personas yourselves for us, so it was intriguing to hear your proposals.”

SDA Bocconi School of Management