Student managers celebrate the 15th anniversary of GBCC

by Alex Brechner, GBCC Student Manager

2013 GBCC Student Managers

It’s finally here! The 15th annual Global Business Case Competition (GBCC) started this week. Our GBCC
student management team has been preparing for this competition since the fall; recruiting ambassadors, training volunteers, planning events, and preparing the teams. Our team is made up of eight Foster School students, and we are very excited for the final round presentations to take place this Saturday, April 13, at 2:00 pm in the Shansby Auditorium (Paccar Hall 192). Last Friday, I wrote about the history of the competition after interviewing some past competitors; today I’d like to share what is happening this year.

Monday night, students from around the world arrived in Seattle. Teams flew in from the Philippines, Singapore, Belgium, Spain, Mexico, Egypt, New Zealand, China, Canada, and Arizona. The GBCC Management Team has been keeping our visitors entertained – we toured the UW campus and visited Pike’s Place Market, worked with three local high schools on a short business case, and met with five companies: Amazon, Port of Seattle, Russell Investments, Tableau Software, and Zulily.

Lots of Foster School students also got a chance to talk with these talented international students last night at our Global Networking Night. There is still a great opportunity to meet these students – come watch the final round on Saturday! We want to make our visitors feel welcome, so come support them.

The business cases and student charge were passed out on Thursday, and presentations will take place after exactly 48 hours of analysis. Each school has its own team, but GBCC offers a unique twist: the 12th team, called the Global Team, is composed of four members from four different schools. These students have only one week to get to know each other, and they are up against teams whose members have been working together for months. Against all odds, the Global Team has found success in the past by drawing on their diverse backgrounds. We wish all of this year’s teams the best of luck.

Every year, GBCC brings students from all types of cultures and backgrounds together for an incredibly rewarding experience. The GBCC management team has worked hard to make sure that this is a week that everyone – from the volunteers to the competitors to those who just want to stop in and take a peek – will not soon forget. We are excited to bring the world to UW for the 15th year in a row!