After the success of the International Entrepreneurial Week which took place in Rome during March, 2019, the International Business Week was also a great success, and took place during April.
Students of various nationalities came together to work on a business project while enjoying the eternal city.
Teaming up with the University Colleges Leuven-Limburg, and hosting students from different institutes including Fontys, Plekhanov Russian University of Economics, and Ephec, the Swiss School of Management is proud to have hosted the 2019 International Business Week in Rome. Approximately 40 students from different universities joined us to attend this event. As usual, they were mixed in different teams and given a business plan to develop and to be completed with team members they only got to know once they arrived in Rome. The exposure to new people and cultures was inevitable, and it was a journey of growth for our young participants.
During the first day, we started breaking the ice very soon, after the welcome presentation and the first round of business project, by participating all together at the international Apero, where lots of the visiting students brought specialities from their countries to share with the rest. This was a great success, as students got to know each other, while enjoying typical snacks from a different country. Day 2 had an amazing guest lecture about cross-cultural communication, followed in the afternoon by the Hidden Rome tour, a tour that reveals more of the hidden treasures of Rome, and not just the main sights. To walk in the small streets of Rome is fascinating, and this was another memorable experience.
The projects were completed by the different teams and presented in front of a jury on the last day. All students did a great job, therefore, came the award ceremony on the last day, where groups had to lay out all the tools they used throughout the week to develop their business plan. The week ended with a farewell dinner at Piazza Campo de Fiori, one of the most beautiful and renowned squares of this ancient city. Amongst ruins, historical statues, beautiful streets and great people, we all enjoyed nice typical Italian cuisine dishes while sitting outside in an open space. It was a week to be repeated for sure!