Two of our MKT20 scholars, Christian Huang & Emily Cong share their experiences competing at the Champion's Trophy International Case Competition.
Tell us a bit about the International Case Competition you competed in? How did you go?
EC: Last month, Christian and I, alongside two other teammates competed in the Champion’s Trophy International Case Competition hosted by the University of Auckland, as part of the UNSW Consulting Society International Case Squad. This was one of the first in-person case competitions UNSW has competed in after the pandemic so definitely a super exciting opportunity! We completed a total of 4 five-hour case cracks, and ended up as finalists, placing in the top 5 amongst 12 teams from universities around the world.
What was your biggest highlight from this case competition?
CH: My highlight would definitely be the experience of making friends with university students from all around the world. Not only were they all incredibly smart, but all had super fun and unique personalities. You definitely feel as though you are part of a community when you attend these competitions.
What were some unexpected challenges you faced?
EC: For one, the weather was definitely an unexpected one we faced at the beginning! We were unfortunately there during the week of the torrential rain and flooding, so our flight into Auckland was actually delayed by a day. In terms of the competition itself, I would say presenting on the fly within such a short timeline meant that we had to really know our content and also be mindful of balancing speaking time across the four of us during the 10mins we had to present.
Is there anything you would have done differently?
CH: It is easy to get excited and carried away when ideating solutions for a business. If I could do it all again, I would want to focus on keeping ideas and presentations simple and concise so they are more understandable by an audience
What advice would you give to Co-op Scholar [and broader UNSW students] who are looking to participate in international case competitions?
CH: Give it a go! It all starts with your first case competition held by student societies. I still remember gathering my group of friends and doing my first ever case competition not knowing what to expect. From there, the only direction to go is up!
