YouAlberta
When life gives you an opportunity to explore a new interest, you should welcome it with your arms wide open. Back in Fall 2020, I competed in my first-ever case competition remotely from India while taking an introductory business course - BUS 201, with Dr. Richard Field. What started as an interest in solving business problems led me to discover the world of case competitions. Little did I know that one day, this curiosity would take me to the beautiful city of Bergen, Norway, famously known as "the city between the seven mountains." There, I had the chance to stand on the big stage and present a business recommendation to DNV, one of the largest risk management and assurance companies in Europe and the world.
How and why did I travel to Bergen?
I had the exciting opportunity to represent the Alberta School of Business (ASOB), along with my friends Lavansh Sethi, Marlow Pfeifer and Omer Syed, at the seventh iteration of the NHH International Case Competition (NHHICC) hosted in Bergen, Norway.
This year's competition was held at the Norwegian School of Economics from Sept. 23 to 27 and welcomed 15 prestigious business schools from around the world, including the Norwegian University of Science & Technology (NTNU), the University of Porto and the University of Florida.
As seasoned competitors and final-year undergraduate business students, my friends and I were delighted to be trusted by the CWIL team (thanks to Daniel, Devan and Jessica) to travel to Bergen and represent ASOB on the international stage to compete against the top business schools from across the globe. It was most certainly an opportunity of a lifetime, which we all welcomed wholeheartedly.
Our trip to Bergen
The start of our adventure
Sept. 19, 6 p.m.
It was time for Team Alberta to pack our bags and embark on the 10-day trip to Bergen to compete at NHHICC 2024. After weeks of practice and preparation, we were finally ready to depart from the Edmonton International Airport for our first flight to Amsterdam. My plans for this initial leg of the trip? Get to know about my friend Lavansh's time as a semi-professional athlete (as a running back in football!) and catch up on my FIN 434 class readings. Of course, I dozed off one hour after take-off!
Image: Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
Sept. 20, 1:25 p.m.
After the last flight of our journey, we arrived in beautiful Bergen. We picked up our luggage, grabbed coffee and made our way to our Airbnb, which would be our home for the next two days before moving to Hotel Oleana, as organized and taken care of by NHH, the host university.
Image: A typical sunny evening in the city of Bergen
Exploring Bergen before the competition
Sept. 21 & 22
We were settled into our Airbnb by Friday evening and had the whole weekend to explore Bergen before the competition began on Monday. So, what did we do? Everything and anything that took us outdoors in the heart of the city!
We did it all: hiking the famous Mount Fløyen and playing soccer with little Norwegians in a small town on our way up to the mountain; tasting the Norwegian seafood and playing a few rounds of snooker at the famous Salong bar; accidentally purchasing sparkling water from KIWI Strømgaten along with trying the delicious Veggie Mac from McDonald's. At the end of the weekend we moved into our designated rooms at Hotel Oleana and finally got some well-deserved rest.
Competing at NHHICC
Sept. 23 - 27
We kicked off the competition Monday with a 5-hour seeding case focused on proposing our recommendation to Highsoft on their future plans of expansion into the APAC market. On Tuesday, we enjoyed a beautiful cruise into the Fjord, followed by a traditional Norwegian dinner at Schøtstuene, a historic landmark of Bryggen dating back to the 13th century.
Wednesday, we took on the strategic challenge posed by DNV for the 24-hour case, which revolved around devising a vision for DNV's future as a tech-savvy and customer-centric organization. One of the most exciting cases I've ever worked on, I must say! Thursday at noon, we submitted our presentation and geared up for the presentations for the preliminary round. After all the teams had presented, we took the time before the declaration of finalists to explore the NHH campus and munch on some snacks.
After a short while, it was the moment of truth: the announcement of the finalists. With our hearts racing and our fists clenched, we waited for the results with the hope of being one of the finalists at NHHICC 2024. Lo and behold, Team Alberta was announced as one of the three finalists alongside Maastricht University and the University of Hong Kong! We couldn't contain our excitement and were joyed beyond expression!
Friday, we concluded our run in the competition as runners-up while embracing the opportunity to step up on the stage for the grand finale as our friends and family from around the world tuned in at dawn to watch us present. What followed was an exquisite gala and a great celebration before all the delegates made their way back to their home country the next morning. What an amazing competition, I must say!
Image: Team Alberta - Omer Syed, Ishan Arora, Marlow Pefifer and Lavansh Sethi (from left to right)
We left Bergen with…
While we all strive for victory, what it often leads to is a lot of memories and meaningful friendships along the way! We left Bergen with new friends, an appreciation for brown cheese, some meaningful professional connections and – last but not least – lots of memories. Thanks to Edvard Sævild Ree and team & the Norwegian School of Economics (NHH) for such an incredible experience!
Bergen, you were good to us!