CEMS Magazine | May 2011
About Marenostrum Marenostrum is the latest addition to the programme of CEMS Regional Events. It is hosted on a rotating basis by ESADE Business School, Nova School of Business & Economics and Università Bocconi. Conference WRITER: José Alguem President CEMS Club Lisbon
MARENOSTRUM: an insider’s look at the latest CEMS Regional Event Hosted by Nova School of Business & Economics on 10th-12th March on the theme of “Development Through Business: A Mirage or a Reality?”, the first edition of the Marenostrum CEMS Regional Event successfully brought together the CEMS student and corporate community. José Alguem (President, CEMS Club Lisbon) gives his personal account, from the perspective of one of the main event organisers. Organising Marenostrum (or “MNM”) was both an incredible challenge and an utterly rewarding and learning experience. Being Portuguese, hospitality is a burden we carry, but one we carry gladly. Welcoming our visitors with open arms and wanting them to have a good experience is part of our DNA, which of course increased the Lisbon CEMS Club Team's commitment to make Marenostrum a memorable event. From the early challenges of designing the model we wanted for the conference, to the negotiations with our Corporate Partners and the final logistics, the whole process proved to be an excellent teamwork experience, where we definitely capitalised on one of the Portuguese best cultural traits – “Desenrrascar” . Watching it finally happening and most importantly, taking part in the event and listening first hand to everyone's feedback, proved to be the best reward we could expect.
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From an insider’s perspective, the three highlights of the event were:
ompanies’ Think Tanks and Networking – from the C feedback gathered, not only were most of the topics absolutely relevant for today’s business environment, but they allowed students to get a more insightful look at what companies are really doing in the sustainability field. Peer networking – both formally regarding future student and business challenges, but also informally in becoming more acquainted with the impact of cultural differences on the way people think and especially “party”. Mediterranean hospitality and weather - the common unstable weather conditions were present, with rain during the indoor events and fortunately sun for the outdoor activities (or at least most of them). The “best hostel in the world” received excellent feedback and not entirely due to the free “port wine” at the entrance.
MNM’s Impact on organising team: four hours of sleep in the days preceding the event; over 500 MB of memory space used overall; job offers from some partners (NICE!); considerable “ego enhancement” after evaluating the feedback from participants.