Emerald Forest Hotel:About

The project

This platform is part of a much bigger project: the entire Management game Emerald Forest. This game has been developed by Creative Masters and now is used by several European partners, both companies, and educational institutes. Creative Masters own the intellectual property rights of the game Emerald Forest Hotel.

The whole game

This Management game is internet-based and Web 2.0 linked and built for commercial company's in the service industry and for students at any university or higher education institute. The game has an international character. We have collaborations with universities/institutes all over Europe. One of the main objectives, apart from the game and its contents, is to learn from the solutions found in other countries, to learn from their evaluation and to look beyond the borders of your own country, institute and your own way of thinking. The game has a proven track record in making teams enthusiastic and creative, as it is a motivating way try out things, get creative or to earn-study points.

Joining this game?

If you are interested in joining the game or have any suggestions for that matter, don’t hesitate to contact Creative Masters in Breda The Netherlands at any time. Or mail us at emeraldforesthotel at gmail.com.

This site and the game

This site is the central part of this management game. Because of its form, it might suggest that all of its content is free to be used: this is not totally true. All intellectual property rights, including but not limited to, copyrights, trademark rights and database rights related to the information, text, images, logos, photographs, and illustrations on this website and regarding the layout and design thereof are the property of Creative Masters Breda and can only be used by its partners. The information on this website is only meant for use in the management game Emerald Forest. The reproduction and publishing or use (of parts of) the content for any use, is under Copyright license.

Costs and grants

We seek to develop new insights into working together and into the behavior of learning and motivating study methods. We want to stimulate internationalization and cooperation: therefore we run this platform. There are some restrictions and some costs, of course, in using the platform but they are open to discussion. For innovative, international and digital projects like this, there are also a number of grants potentially available like, Erasmus and Leonardo -partly in Dutch. This might be a possibility as well. If you have an educational institution with an international office, they can help you on this one.

Building team

The game is built by

• Corné Dijkmans: Involved in games since 1995 and has built two games himself. Responsible for managing the applied research program of the Academy for Tourism of NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences, and valorization of this program through external projects. Creating synergy between applied research and education. PhD Researcher Online Media at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam for royal Dutch airline KLM. Alongside his role at NHTV, he also runs his own company.
  • Linked in profile Corné Dijkmans

• Jeroen Vinkesteijn: senior Lecturer Marketing and Economics, involved in games since 1995 and has built two (other) games himself as well. He has 10 year's professional experience in Tourism and Leisure and also runs his own company.
  • Linked in profile Jeroen Vinkesteijn

• Jelte Ronner: expert in the script-building. He is the PHP specialist in the game, the constructor in Airport Schiphol(Amsterdam)'s Flight-simulations-software. He has worked with Skyteam in Lyon, in Antwerp (Belgium) for an aviation company and as Business Intelligence Analyst at CityJet in London. After working in Quatar for Qatar airways as yield manager, Jelte now is Manager Revenue Analysis at Etihad Airways.
  • Linked in profile Jelte Ronner

Latvia experience

In Valmiera, Latvia we played the beta version of the new game with 100 participants: we are very much obliged to them for this. You can find a report on the beta-version of the game we played over there here. We are constantly building this site, the actual version has now been played by almost 10.000 participants.

European development

We are proud that one of our other similar games, the Emerald Forest Bungalowpark, became part of an international EU-program on Life Long Learning a few years ago.

The partners in this program were:

Latvia: Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands: NHTV Breda University of Applied Sciences

Estonia: Tallinn University of Technology

Germany: Karlshochschule International University

Lithuania: Kaunas University of Applied Sciences

Bulgaria: University of Veliko Tarnovo

Since then we have been developing this new game with all learning for the previous one.

Content of the game

Of course, there is a lot to say about the game and it will develop all of the time by the way it is used and by suggestions and wishes brought to us by the participants and by technical improvements. The simulation is built based on marketing/economic ratios in the hotel market. There is a hotel park called Emerald Forest which needs new management. There are all kinds of financial and commercial figures (history) available. In this game decisions have to be made and backed by arguments: not just by pushing buttons or guessing numbers. It is not, in its techniques a fancy (3-dimensional) game. We have built something to learn from and to learn with. The software purely supports the game: content and involvement are the most important factors. Fun elements, competition, and reflections, as well as discussions and feedback by the teaching staff, make this game an interesting and a motivating way to practice, be creative or to study.

Participants work in teams and take over an existing hotel (so historical data is available: financially and general) and as they are the new management they will try to run the hotel in the best possible way. They will do so by standards set in the game, set by the board of directors and by themselves over a number of years (playing rounds). The hotel also offers possibilities which can use in a creative way. The management's basic problems are the occupancy rate (due to fierce competition) and the market situation, which is rather tight. Creativity is needed and well appreciated in the game. Secondly: the hotel is rather outdated which will start affecting the occupancy rates within very shortly.

Most of the communication will be done through social media, a website, other media and the so called Team file. We have embedded lots of Web 2.0 features. It is currently intended to be the equivalent to 3 to 5 ECTS study load for students. One ECTS means a study load of 28 hours. For a company, the game means a number dedicated days of work for its participants with, on request, some additional tasks, and assignments. But a one day-version also is a possibility.
An ideal situation is a group of mixed participants with some commercial (communication/P.R.) and economics background: some knowledge of the leisure market might be handy. The game could be used for 1st to 4th-year students or for any combination depending on the game related tasks given.

Parts of the game

The game consist of five major parts:

1. Preparations

The preparation to make the game as required by the institute. This means technically but also content-wise on the site and in social media. There will also be a digital online manual available which contains instructions and dates relating to the actual game. If (more) coaches are needed, there is a special digital manual for them as well as well as online coaching the coach. The task, study load, and assignments depend on the wishes of the company's or institute using the game. Specific tasks, assignments, instructions, and dates are possible as well as changes in the whole game. The Game can be a springboard for many other competences or subject which can be connected with it. But it can also be played just a game itself as well. Fun, competition, experience and learning from each other are very important elements. In our experience, the participants really get enthusiastic and involved in the game once they have started it. It is totally different from a traditional training, course or set of lectures.

Tasks are defined as developing a new name and new image to the hotel. Building a press map and a house style. Making strategic decisions regarding the prices, staff, and promotion. Describing the situation on hotels (or leisure) in your country and reflecting on the decision made in other countries: reflecting on their names and strategies and considering how you would apply them to your own country.

The building team will monitor this from a distance (Holland). The teams get instructions for their basic preparations and on how to start working on the simulation.

2. Working in the game

This platform is the central place for all information on the game. In our planning all of this is ready approximately two weeks before the actual 'years' are played in the game it would be handy to have teams instructed. Ideally, the game week starts off with well-prepared teams which have already worked on this platform.

3. Management game playing the years

In this management game week, the teams will make the actual decisions on price and will play a number of rounds (reflecting year). Each round will bring lots of results (the Operating review ranking in the competition, feedback etc.). The basic idea is to transfer this knowledge so as to enable your staff to run this part 3 themselves.

We would need a number of dedicated days to play the game live with participants. The ideal situation is to have 4 or 5 consecutive days, preferably a week dedicated to the game, although other solutions are possible). Supporting the teams there are many pages, photos, and movies. There will be a market fair, activities like three minutes of fame, special features like disasters and positive events and a number of presentations. There are two competitions in the game, one on creativity and one on profit: the game ends with a prize-giving ceremony. There is loads of extra information on the site: photo’s as well as video footage. All of this can be done by you or by the building team, though we would much appreciate the support by local staff or employees. We will evaluate the game and can also decide on results given to the participants or marks to students if you wish so.

4. Presentations and movies

As explained to support the game there is a lot of movies available on a special channel on YouTube. There is a number of (PowerPoint) presentations to support each round, a big prize-ceremony among other activities. We can also personalize these items.

5. Linked assignments

There can be a number of so-called linked assignments: some are directly available and some will be built on your request. These linked assignments will use the game as a platform or a giant case to work on specific assignments which can be related to anything suitable for the working situation or study content. For example:

• languages
• technical issues
• financial calculations
• staff-related matters
• teamwork

These assignments can be posted in on this platform; they could be presentations or other activities performed 'live' in the working or study-environment.

International

All of the decisions, photo's and reports written by teams will be saved in here. Teams from any country will have to react to the decisions made by fellow teams in other countries and comments on the situation there. This is, by the way, not real time. Have a look at Category:Emerald forest finished teams.

Flexibility

There is a lot of flexibility in the game: if the game fits somewhere in your planning, we can discuss all of the details and options.

Interested?

Send a mail to emeraldforesthotel at gmail.com or have a look at the introduction movie first.
If you have any questions related to playing the game as a participant, have a look at the E-manual first. If you do not find your answers there, please contact your coaches. We have some concrete information on the page Joining_the_game.

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