The Danish Job – Part 2
Incredible. Grandiose. Flawless. These are the words that come to my mind a week after the CBS Case Competition. It is difficult not to write in superlatives about this event: I have been to a couple of case competitions before but what I experienced in Copenhagen is not comparable to any one of them. The CBS Case Competition – in accordance with its slogan – has truly created lifetime experiences.
Let’s start at the beginning. The CBS Case Competition lasted an entire week at the end of February, 2014. The first days of the program series were spent with getting to know the other teams, doing some sightseeing and partying. This was followed by two days of case solving and the final day of presentations. The company was very diverse: 12 teams received an invitation to the competition from five continents. The teams of third-year students were complemented with an accompanying teacher and a local host. I was honored to accompany the St. Gallen team as a “teacher”. This resulted in a lot of funny situations of course, as I was younger than some of the contenders and I could have been the son of most of the accompanying teachers even.
Instead of listing all the events of the week in a chronological order, I will highlight some of the coolest memories:
- Saturday: as we arrived our hostess, Sandra was waiting for us at the airport with a board that read CBS Case Competition
- Sunday: after the funny team-building games, I was persuaded to take part in the practice of the Danish dance called Lanciers (note: that is quite an achievement as I did not even dance on my prom)
- Monday: sightseeing with an impeccable British guide; changing of the guard at the royal palace; dinner with the Danish prince at a very representative place, then a crazy party at a beat-up bar – perhaps the best day
- Tuesday: tense excitement during the group draw
- Wednesday: last words to the team before we were separated then cheering at the announcement of the case company: the Copenhagen Zoo
- Thursday: work, alone in my hotel room while the team was solving the case
- Friday: excitement during the presentation of the St. Gallen team; concert atmosphere during the entrance of the jury and the teams in the grand finale; gala dinner and dancing in the D’Angleterre castle hotel.
- Saturday: sad good bye to the many new friends
But how could this event be so amazing? I think the 15,000 work hours mentioned by the organizers and the quite big, almost 200,000 euro budget speak for themselves. But what might be even more important is that the over 30-member organizing team truly put their heart and soul into this project. Every concept and detail spoke of deep consideration and care. Looking at the tight schedule, nobody had thought that it could be done but the organizers managed to move the group of almost a hundred people flawlessly, on the dot. When it comes to the level of detail, just take a look at this picture.
Although the team did not make it to the final, based on the feedback, we represented the University of St. Gallen worthy of its fame. Regarding the future, no doubt we are looking forward to the CBS Case Competition in 2015! It will not be easy to surpass this year’s edition but I am confident that we will have more chances to gain new lifelong experiences in Copenhagen. Whoever has the chance to participate at this competition, don’t miss it!
Finally, here are the favorite memories of the members of the St. Gallen team:
Nicolas | "The CBS Case Competition was an experience I won't forget in a while. Digging as deep as talking to the CEO enabled us to find the best solution for Copenhagen Zoo we could. The format of three highly-intense days taught me on a new level what it means to work together as a team when time pressure is on. From a business-perspective I learned a lot but what was most inspiring were the people I met. It was truly amazing to connect with so many great people from all around the globe at those all-night parties. All in all, it was an experience I do not want to miss." |
Martin | "As a German from a Swiss university, the ideal government form for me is democracy. However, the welcome dinner in the finest rooms of the Carlsberg Museum demonstrated the beauty of having a monarchy. His Royal Highness Prince Joachim of Denmark showed with his presence and his fantastic speech that royals are not just representatives of a country nor are they far away from the needs of the people. In fact, royals embody the people, the nation, and understand the needs and the thoughts of the public. All in all, week 9 at the CBS Case Competition created a lifetime experience." |
Constantin | "The organizing committee has made a terrific job putting together a program filled with teambuilding activities. That was my favorite part of the week. We had plenty of time during gala-dinners, sightseeing-trips or boat-rides to get to know the other teams. During my stay at Copenhagen I met many cool and insightful students that I became friends with. I really enjoyed hanging out with people from all over the world who share the same interest in case solving. Looking back one week after the competition, I believe that this combination made the week very special." |
Nikolas | "Personally the memory that has stuck with me the most is clearly the ball at Hotel d’Angleterre. The grand setting for the final hours of celebrating couldn’t have been chosen more perfectly. I enjoyed dancing the „Les Lanciers“ as much as the good food and drink. All the work was done and we had the chance to once more get to know each other better and bond for lifetime friendships. It was hard to leave the sheer amount of impressions and memories so abruptly on Saturday already. I’m humbled to be able to say that I've been a part of CBS Case Competition 2014 where I met some of the best characters in a lifetime." |