T
he big day was here. Belgrade Business International Case Competition has officially started with young and passionate people arriving from around the world. The whole team of ambassadors and organizers has worked hard that it brought so much joy when this moment happened.
On the first day, at the airport, I welcomed the advisor of the Wilfrid Laurier team, Sofy Carayannopoulos. Sofy brought with her this amazing energy and positivity that spread rapidly and I couldn’t help but smile. The rest of the team arrived earlier to go sightseeing in Belgrade.
From the moment the team was completely gathered in the hotel, the Radisson Collection Hotel, Old Mill Belgrade I could feel the energy of excitement and at that moment I felt privileged to be their ambassador and help them in any way I could.
I bonded with my team quickly, and the main reason was that they were so interested in Serbian culture, history, and language. This was an instant friendship – we shared laughs, exchanged experiences and ideas. They tried and loved some of our snacks and food which made me super proud.
The day went by quickly and it was time for the cocktail night. The ambassadors, their teams and advisors gathered in the lobby and started chatting.
That night was so special and the only thought that went through my mind was: Wow! All of the great minds are gathered right here! Just imagining how brilliant and exceptional these people are, and they all made it to compete here at BBICC.
The cocktail night was followed by the next event – the Barkviz. All of the teams, advisors and BBICC organizers gathered at the bar and had an amazing night of laughter, talks, and quizzes. They were served with different topics where they had to answer the questions in teams, but the greatest part of it all is that every team was mixed, so all of us got a chance to meet everybody and get to know each other. Getting to know them and understand how different individuals work and are motivated was valuable to me as I aspire to be a part of multicultural teams.
Day One came to an end, and it was time for the teams to rest, but little did they know that the fun had just started.
I knew that BBICC would be an amazing experience in so many ways, but I didn’t quite understand how powerful uniting people from different parts of the world could be. This gave me such enthusiasm and thrill for the following days.
BBICC had just started and it already made a mark and an impact on my life. The precious things are the relationships we formed only during the first day and I knew it would be everlasting. I couldn’t wait for the following days!