Kent Team in Germany at the Rubicon Competition

A report on why business competitions are awesome

With the risk of sounding a bit dramatic, it is almost a crime for a business student not to attend at least one business competition. The experiences gained there, the amazing networks acquired and the confidence gained from it will have a great impact on your personal development. You might not think it’s worth the time and effort to prepare for it and miss out on your coursework but it is something one needs to experience in order to judge.

The Rubicon Contest 2010 is one of the most significant contests for business students worldwide. The contest was completely organized by students for students. The competition took place from March 8th till 10th 2010 on the campus of the Private University BiTS Iserlohn, Germany.

With that said, we will give you 10 reasons that make business competitions an experience of a lifetime.

1. Networking, networking, networking. It’s a word you always hear when it comes to working in a business environment and/or trying to get a job.  Well this is certainly the best place to do it. Students, academics, and business leaders representing over 30 different countries and 20 sponsoring companies are all under one huge roof and are welcoming you with a smile.
2. Teamwork. A vital skill required by most companies is that of working in a team. This is your chance to get this type of skills in a relevant manner. This is not another presentation group for one of your modules. In this case you get to see people in their worst and at their best due to time constraints. Each and everyone in the team strive to succeed. Not everyone can have the same academic impact but the moral impact becomes stronger like never before.  This is where you make friends that you can trust and rely on in business.
3. Experience. Probably for the only time in your life you will have the opportunity to test your skills in a simulated business environment without the risk of affecting a real company.   The 3 day business bubble will get hold of your life and will make you feel like the actual money maker of your company.
4. Socials. You never party better than after a hard day’s work. After the feeling of actually accomplishing something you get an incredible adrenaline rush which will make you party till 3am and suit up the next day at 7am with no loss of enthusiasm.
5. See the world. Not only will you be able to get out of the university bubble for a while but you will also have the chance to visit a different country alongside your friends. The Rubicon organisers have developed a range of trips to suit all interests and never let you get bored.
6. Stand out. Most of your competition for getting that perfect job would have graduated with at least a 2:1. This makes extracurricular activities more valuable and a business competition is a rare experience which will show you actually care about business and make your CV shine.
7. Challenge yourself and others. The key word in a competition such as this one has to be “challenge”. You’re not only testing yourself in front of highly skilled individuals under tough tasks but you are also influencing the performance of your competitors.
8. Get inspired. Hours of stimulating lectures and presentations from academics and business people over-cloud the common perception of boring lectures. Believe it or not – these people will make accounting sound cool.
9. The material side It’s always niiice to walk into a hotel room and find a chocolate on the pillow. Imagine an entire bag waiting for you, printed pictures left outside your door, work rooms filled with snacks and refreshments available at all times. And of course, the prizes for the finalists which include blackberries, ipods, pens and engraved trophies. Everything is set up in order for you to be at your best.
10. The responsibility. You are representing not only yourself, but also your university, business school, sponsors and country.  You almost feel like an Olympian.

A&P

Tonight we will be hearing from Ronald Thompson who will be speaking about his business www.piliusxdesign.com designing innovative furnature and Jo Gideon of www.chiefexecutive.com.

The event promises to be an inspirational evening for all and there will be a chance for students to put their questions to both entrepreneurs in a networking session after the talk.

If you have any question please email me at t.s.crowther@kent.ac.uk on 01227 82(3733).