(Interview from 2011, with update 2021)

Dagmar Möbius

Anja Gena studied a rather unusual combination of subjects. Today, the sociologist heads a concert and events agency in Dresden – and has invented a scavenger hunt called "Stadt(Ver-)Führung."

The Leipzig native came to TU Dresden in 1998 straight from high school. TUD was the only place offering her chosen combination of sociology with minors in geography and education. "I had initially been interested in literature, but after one semester, I decided on education," recalls the 31-year-old, who found Dresden "very exciting" and still does. She was not even aware of how rare her combination of subjects was at first, "but apparently I was the only one studying them together." Gena liked sociology because it was not just a humanities subject, but also contained a lot of empirical methodology and statistics. "I found this easy and it made for a good change," she explains. What was more, "why something is the way it is fascinated me." And still does.

While the actual course content had little to do with her current occupation, she learned how to organize herself, her studies, and even her exams. "Only a 20-minute break between two classes, three to four kilometers between buildings, frequent timetable clashes – and it was up to you to make it work," she recalls, laughing. "I had to engage with the course content, even if it didn't always interest me." She thinks back fondly to "the entertaining lectures given by Professor Ekkart Zimmermann." She still describes his field, macrosociology, as her favorite. It is the big picture globally that interests Anja Gena. Her final-year dissertation explored a question that would not be an option in any other subject. She wrote about "Islam and Democracy" and says "this is typical of sociology." As an intern with the State Commissioner for Stasi Documents, she researched and put together profiles of people who were witnesses to the regime of the German Democratic Republic's state security service.

Geography provided a contrast to sociology, and that was intentional. A trip to southern Germany, where she studied viticulture in the Kaiserstuhl region, meteorite strikes, and the Danube sinkhole, was "a nice change from theory." She also appreciated the chance to get to know her fellow students better, which could otherwise be difficult because of her rare combination of subjects.

After graduating in 2004, Anja Gena stayed in Dresden and initially worked as a freelancer. In 2006, she founded the events and concert agency G&G Events. What began as a "GbR," a partnership under the German Civil Code – hence the company name, formed from the initials of the founders' surnames – is now run by Gena on her own as sole proprietor. Anja Gena organizes events, nationwide trade fairs, and classical concerts with performers from duets to orchestras. Even though she is now the mother of two daughters, and is currently on parental leave and so only working limited hours, she can't imagine any other type of work. She is confident that business is developing slowly but steadily.

In 2009, she invented the "Stadt(Ver-)Führung" city game, a kind of scavenger hunt that players undertake on their own on by foot, by bus, and by train. The idea came from a family who wanted a new way to explore the city. The first route she came up with took players around the castles on the Elbe – still an insider's tip and Anja Gena's favorite of all her city games. Visitors solve riddles, travel from one sight to the next, and learn a whole lot of fascinating information. There are now six different routes in the Dresden region: Alongside the Elbe castles, games now also take you around the Altstadt (Old Town), the Neustadt (New Town), Dresden's churches, and Radebeul, and there is a special route for families, "Neustadt für Kids." There are plans for a bicycle trail, and for city games for Meissen, Leipzig and Berlin. So far, there is no route around campus. But Anja Gena is already thinking about it.

2021 Update:
Ten years have now passed since the interview and a lot has changed. The events and concert agency no longer exists. My focus is now exclusively on the Stadtspiel Schnitzeljagd scavenger hunts. The team has also grown quite a bit. There are now seven of us developing and producing the scavenger hunts and marketing them from our new store in Rähnitzgasse in Dresden's beautiful Baroque quarter.

Things have also changed online. We have added a large online shop and have established a large number of partnerships over the years. Over the past few years, we have developed scavenger hunts for many new places: Our "Stadtspiele" are now available for 20 different towns and cities. In total, there are over 40 different guided tours, and new ones are being added all the time. We still have a few cities on our wish list – Potsdam, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart are right at the top.

Other innovations includes treasure hunts for kids to download and a range of different outdoor treasure hunt sets. We're definitely not running out of ideas. I am very grateful that I am able to take this path and that my business is growing and prospering – even despite the Covid-19 pandemic. My daughters are now teenagers, and I hope that my story can offer some inspiration to them. I am of the firm belief that you can only be successful with your own business if you love your job and are passionate about it. And it is exactly that passion, that zest, that I would wish upon my daughters as well as all those who are at the start of their professional career. For that is what makes for a fulfilling career.

Stadtspiel Schnitzeljagd
Anja Gena
Rähnitzgasse 24
01097 Dresden

Tel.: +49 351 – 213 6800
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