Planning and Executing Your Next Hackathon with Veronika Vacek and Matt Arnold

“Creating a sense of purpose and commitment through events like Hackathons can transform the way we view our work and connections.”

Veronika Vacek and Matt Arnold are leaders in the innovation space for Brightidea. Veronika, with her rich background at a Fortune 500 financial services firm, and Matt, an expert with a diverse career in broadcast, film, UX, and design, share the interplay between humanity and technology in their careers and the importance of communication in innovation.

In this episode, Veronkia and Matt discuss the intricacies of orchestrating a successful hackathon, remote work challenges, and the impact of digital transformation. They also discuss how hackathons provide a unique opportunity for employees to innovate and connect meaningfully and the vital role of senior leadership support in fostering an innovative organizational culture.

In this episode, you’ll learn about:

The Significance of Hackathons: Matt and Veronika discuss the role of hackathons in driving innovation within organizations. They highlight how these events provide a unique opportunity to tap into creative skill sets, foster collaboration, and inject positivity into the workplace.

Crafting Effective Hackathons: Veronika shares insights on planning and executing successful hackathons. She emphasizes the importance of detailed organization, clear communication, and early involvement of various departments to ensure smooth flow and maximum participation.

Balancing Structure and Creativity: Matt discusses the balance between providing structure and fostering creativity during hackathons. He shares the necessity of setting the right level of support to minimize anxiety and fear while also creating enough space for innovation to thrive.

Jump into the conversation: 

 00:00 Getting to know our guests Veronika Vacek and Matt Arnold 
 05:30 What it looks like to find creative spaces in a post-covid world 
 12:40 Why Hackathons are unique opportunities for honing creative skillsets 
 16:45 Understanding the differences between hackathons, pitch competitions, and ideathons 
 28:50 Breaking down the importance of early planning, aligning teams, and considering logistics when creating a Hackathon
  34:30 What are the essential elements of a successful hackathon
  40:00 Get the details on the phases of hackathon events from planning to post-event activities 
 47:10 Why organizations need to look at adapting rapidly when it comes to understanding the balance between innovation and failure