Our Erasmus+ projects TourX and HOGAnet4VET once again made it possible to explore a new special culinary region of Europe as part of the NextGen Hospitality Trophy, and this time to learn about vocational training in the hospitality sector at the Bad Gleichenberg Tourism Schools in southern Styria.

From 13–17 April 2026, we were guests at the „Bildungshaus Schloss Retzhof“ with a team of trainees from the „AHORN Seehotel Templin“ and the „Kongresshotel Potsdam“.

There was a great deal of tension at the start of the stay, as the aim of the week was to face another professional competition and prove that Brandenburg’s young talent in the sector is well-trained enough to hold their own against the Austrian trainees from the styrian tourism schools.

The DEHOGA Brandenburg team was invited on 14 April for a guided tour of the „Bad Gleichenberg tourism schools“ and had the opportunity to get to know the students with whom they would then tackle the competition tasks on Wednesday as part of the NextGen Hospitality Trophy. This day was also used to familiarise themselves with the teaching kitchen and teaching restaurant, the competition task, the shopping basket for the competition menu and the rules of procedure during a preparatory workshop.

On Wednesday, the teams cooked, served and tasted what they had prepared together. The competition task was clearly defined – a three-course menu using the same basic ingredients, complemented by a special regional touch and accompanied by a pre-selected Styrian wine. Both teams started together, cooked and served together, and presented the travel regions they call home.

Thus, this 4th edition of our NextGen Hospitality Trophy was another joint success, from which both teams emerged as winners.

Both teams demonstrated the knowledge they have acquired at their respective stages of training and the enthusiasm with which they worked together to achieve excellent results on the day. The Brandenburg trainees demonstrated with great commitment that Brandenburg is a hospitable place and that exciting internship opportunities await the young Austrians here.

A big thank you goes to the organisers at the Retzhof and the Bad Gleichenberg Tourism Schools, as they not only embraced our enthusiasm during this exchange programme, but also, through the NextGen Hospitality Trophy in Bad Gleichenberg, inspired everyone involved to see these days as a potential starting point for developing a long-term partnership in vocational training between Brandenburg and Styria.

Armed with the extensive methodological knowledge and practical experience gained from our previous work at TourX, we were able to successfully organise this educational group mobility.

We should use this new network hub to gain lots of new experiences, work together and learn from one another.

The days at the Bad Gleichenberg Tourism Schools showed:

“Europe is our Stage!“