STEPHANIE LAM, NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE, BEST PRESENTER AT BBICC 2017
Could you pinpoint a few moments from BBICC 2017 that have had the most impact on your overall impression?
-BBICC was so well organized, my team had a wonderful experience overall. I remember on the first night we had socials at a pub. It was so great meeting all the teams. By the end of the night, many teams were playing beer pong and it got quite competitive! Another memorable experience was the amazing race we had – we were taken on a tour around many landmarks which ended at the Belgrade Fortress. The place is beautiful. The moment when the case challenge for our long case was announced was a surprise as well – the case was for the public sector, on attracting foreign investments and tourists. It was unlike any other case I had attempted.
What is the key ingredient in the recipe for success regarding case competitions, according to your opinion?
-A few things come to mind:
First, case competitions are about teamwork. When we’re tasked to solve cases within 5 hours or even 24 hours, it’s almost impossible to have just one person completing the challenge. I think it’s incredibly important to build a strong relationship with your team members and understand how everyone works together before the start of the competition.
Second, understanding the country and people is a must. To me, finding out as much as possible about what the people are thinking, how they live their lives and what they care most about helps us understand the country a little better.
Finally, it’s a once in a lifetime experience, so I try to have as much fun as I can!
Why should a student participate in case competitions like BBICC?
-Participating in case competitions has opened up my mind to the world. We get to work on so many industries – some more challenging than others. And this adds on to our whole university experience. Working with brilliant people and working under pressure has helped me grow so much not just in terms of developing my thought processes, but also as a person.
BBICC has been very successful in building strong relationships with their partners; every year we have interesting cases from the partners. I think this makes BBICC different from other competitions – we could be working on cases from any one of the many partners!
Do you have any recommendations and pieces of advice regarding Serbian culture for BBICC 2018 participants, having in mind it is most likely their first time here?
-Try their food! My team host Jovana brought us out to try Rakija and Cevapi on our first few days at Serbia. I hope you get to try lots of the local food and visit some of their treasured sites around!