The EVZ (Eissportverein Zug) is one of the leading ice hockey organizations in Switzerland. It brings together sporting, administrative, and organizational functions. The club wanted to approach the introduction of AI-supported ways of working in a structured manner. It was important to the organization not to simply provide a tool or leave its use to chance. Instead, EVZ aimed to understand in which areas AI could deliver tangible value for its employees.
With limited resources, EVZ required an approach that was realistic, effective, and feasible within a short timeframe. Campana & Schott supported the three-time Swiss champion in conducting an organization-wide assessment, identifying relevant use cases, and deriving an efficient AI roadmap that clearly defines the next steps toward AI adoption.
A clear foundation for getting started with AI
Get a deeper insight into the project below.
- Industry: Professional sports, ice hockey club and sports enterprise
- Headquarters: Zug
- Website: www.evz.ch
Objectives
As part of the collaboration, EVZ and Campana & Schott defined clear objectives for entering the field of AI. The key focus areas included:
Transparency on AI potential: Identification and evaluation of relevant use cases across all areas of the club.
Structure for next steps: Development of a practice-oriented AI roadmap that structures and prioritizes the identified use cases and provides clear recommendations for further implementation.
Focus on feasibility: Assessment of which use cases can be realized in the short term and which require deeper exploration at a later stage.
Establishing an AI mindset: Creating a shared understanding of AI-supported ways of working so that employees and leaders can comprehend and support future AI initiatives.
AI guidelines for employees: Initial guidance to support employees in working with AI.
The goal was to provide orientation and establish a solid basis for decision-making on which EVZ can systematically build its next steps.
Approach
Implementation followed a clearly structured process that provided orientation while actively involving employees at an early stage.
1. Joint envisioning
At the outset, EVZ employees were informed about objectives, fundamentals, and the overall process. The session aimed to establish a shared understanding and prepare participants for the subsequent use case work.
2. Workshops in the functional areas
Campana & Schott conducted several workshops together with various EVZ departments such as Marketing, Sales, and Controlling. The approach included:
a concise introduction to AI and initial examples
structured collection of use cases in small groups
prioritization of results based on relevance and feasibility
Overall, a list of more than 100 potential use cases was generated across all parts of the organization.
3. Evaluation and derivation of the AI strategy
Campana & Schott consolidated and analyzed the results from all workshops. The evaluation revealed that many of the prioritized use cases can be supported in the future by Microsoft Copilot, making it a central building block for EVZ’s further planning.
Based on the analysis, Campana & Schott developed recommendations for the next steps and, in parallel, a recommendation for EVZ’s future AI strategy. This includes a structured overview of the prioritized use cases and outlines which topics EVZ can pursue next and in what sequence.
4. Copilot rollout
The analysis results led to the decision to introduce Microsoft 365 Copilot for all employees. Campana & Schott is supporting EVZ in the planned structured rollout. EVZ relies on Campana & Schott’s proven standard approach, which is based on experience from more than 400 AI projects and field-tested methods. This lays the foundation for successful scaling across the organization. Further measures are planned for the future.
Challenges
Several challenges were successfully addressed during the collaboration:
Different levels of digital experience: EVZ employees brought very different levels of prior knowledge. Through clear facilitation, illustrative examples, and a structured approach, a shared understanding quickly emerged and enabled the successful development of use cases.
Wide range of roles and responsibilities: From administration and marketing to the sports environment and management, requirements varied significantly. The workshops were designed to incorporate all perspectives and capture relevant use cases from all areas.
Evolving technical baseline: Some data is currently still stored on file servers or in partially integrated environments. A pragmatic path was chosen together, starting with areas that are already suitable.
Coordination during ongoing operations: With limited resources, the process needed to be efficient and easy to integrate into daily operations. Compact formats and clear structures ensured effective involvement of all relevant stakeholders.
Success factors
Several factors contributed to EVZ's quick development of a clear strategy for using AI:
Efficient approach: The workshops were deliberately designed to be compact, enabling participants to engage quickly and collaboratively develop concrete use cases.
Practical knowledge transfer: Clear language, understandable examples, and guided facilitation allowed employees without prior experience to actively contribute.
Broad involvement across departments: Collaboration with various functional areas ensured a diverse and comprehensive list of use cases reflecting the entire organization.
Targeted prioritization: A structured evaluation of submitted ideas helped EVZ gain transparency regarding quick wins and long-term potential.
Collaborative partnership: Close coordination between EVZ and Campana & Schott created a trust-based environment in which results could be developed efficiently and further refined together.
Outcome
As a result of the joint effort, EVZ now has a solid foundation for entering AI and preparing for the future use of Copilot. More than 100 concrete use cases were identified during the workshops, providing a comprehensive picture of AI’s potential across the entire organization. These include, for example, ideas to optimize HR processes such as onboarding and recruiting, improve efficiency in budget management within Controlling, and support administrative workflows, such as managing shared mailboxes or handling table and box bookings in the hospitality area.
All use cases were jointly prioritized, assessed for feasibility, and consolidated into clear recommendations for next steps. Based on this foundation, EVZ has already decided to introduce Microsoft Copilot for all approximately 120 employees. Implementation is currently being prepared and is supported by training and workshop offerings from Campana & Schott.
With the developed AI roadmap and broad employee involvement, EVZ now has a sustainable foundation to embed AI gradually, impactfully, and sustainably within the organization.
