Congratulations!

What an incredible week. There are really no words to accurately describe how pleased and honoured I feel to have experienced this year's 2012 MBA International Case Competition.

The events were tremendous. The participants showed so much enthusiasm and team spirit and, quite frankly, it's all the thanks the organizers (and volunteers alike) need.

I guess I'll start with the obvious (if you've been following the newsletter, Twitter and Facebook). Congratulations to the 2012 winners: Université Laval! A well deserved win for a dedicated team.

The second and third place teams, University of Otago and University of Calgary respectively, had an absolutely nerve-racking run. Top of their divisions and brilliant presentations. A huge congratulations goes out to you as well!

I know there are some eager people out there who can't wait to see the final presentations. They will be made available for all of you next week. They need a bit of polishing before we can release them for public consumption.

With that said, our Flikr account is also being brought up to speed. If you found yourself posing for a picture or being snuck up on by one of our crafty photographers, check out the pictures on the Flikr account. We had a blast sifting through them!

Keep an eye on the blog and once again, from us to you, THANK YOU for taking part in the John Molson 2012 International Case Competition and keep following for more updates!

Tonight is the ROCKSTAR party!

You've been practicing hard, and tonight it will pay off. The kick off is at 21h30.

Dress up as your favourite rock star and get your groove on, singing to your best songs. Thanks to the cutting-edge TouchTunes jukeboxes, choose your songs in style and make it to the top of the karaoke championship. In the hotel's large and elegant EDC room, this event is one to get very excited about. After karaoke, our DJ will crank up the volume, turn on the strobe lights and make the party rock until the early morning!

But no party is a Party, if you don't start it off right. Come up to the Hospitality suite (2016), unwind and enjoy drinks with your colleagues before the main event. The doors open at 19h30.

That's not all. After the party (at 1h) come on back to the Hospitality suite. Our organizers will still be there, partying it up with you until you can't party no more.

Enjoy your evening and remember: work hard, play harder.

Case 5 Results are up!

Here are the scores for Case 5.

And the Semi-Finalists are...

Division Winners
University of Kaiserslautern
Munster University
University of Laval
Aalto University
Otago University
Miami University

Wildcard Winners
NUS
Concordia University
University of Calgary

CONGRATULATIONS!

The full schedule for tonight's Semi-Finals is here.

Our Charity: Innovation Youth

The John Molson School of Business makes a point of having a charity represented at the MBA International Case Competition. This gesture demonstrates that the business community is not only concerned with strong events and great competitions, it is philanthropically minded as well.

This year's charity, Innovation Youth, has worked with hundreds of disadvantaged teens over the years, by offering them a structured environment in a community-oriented space. They offer a high school education program for those who have dropped out of school, they a give them a listening ear when they need to talk, and they help local kids acquire the life skills necessary towards becoming autonomous, responsible adults.

Innovation Youth sent representatives to attend the evening event at the Chateau St Ambroise, and at the Cité Commerce Electronique. They have been on the Mezzanine floor talking to judges and participants since Wednesday. They will also be present at many of the networking cocktails. If you haven't already done so, please give generously and let's make this campaign a success! Get your purple ribbon and support a great cause.


If you make a $10 donation, make sure you pick up a raffle ticket at the Registration Desk. It will get you a chance to win an iPad2! The draw is tonight at midnight. Good luck everyone!

Scores for Case 4

Hey everyone - the scores of the CGI Live Case are posted in the registration desk area.

Click here for a copy of the Case 4 results PDF.

Top 5 Things you HAVE to do in Montreal

It's been all business lately so I'm going to walk a little bit on the wild side and tempt fate - open myself up to scrutiny and outrage. There are many who are passionate about this city and are bound to disagree with this list. The fact of the matter is, these five things are just my personal opinion what our competitors NEED to do before the end of the competition.

Go Ice Skating
Especially important if you live in a warm climate, you HAVE to go skating. Don't worry. Most of us are bad at it. When in doubt - grab on to someone who's half-way-decent at it and hold on tight.
Coincidentally, your organizers have an Ice Skating party planned for you Friday night at 19h. Here are the details at a glance. For more information, visit Tourisme Montreal.

L'Atrium 1000 de la Gauchetière (right next to the hotel in the underground city)
Admission : $6
Skate Rental : $4.75
Helmet Rental : $1.00
Locker Rental : $2.50

Snowshoeing on Mount Royal
Strap on a pair of snowshoes and follow the guide along the trails of Mount Royal. Les Amis de la montagne offers a family tour on fauna observation and a tour by the light of the city, inviting you to explore the Mountain’s trails at night. For more information, visit Les Amis de la montagne.

Biodome
If you jump on the Metro and head over to Pie IX station, you'll be right under the old Olympic stadium. From there, you'll have a few options. Given that it's winter, the Botanical Gardens won't seem that appealing. But make sure to take in the Biodome. It is an amazing experience that will leave you with lasting memories. Check out their site for more details. It's $16.50 to get in and well-worth the money.

Old Montreal/Old Port
An easy way to get to the heart of it, is to walk. Vieux-Montréal is one of the most beautiful, well-preserved vibrant "old towns" this side of Europe. This is a key component in what makes Montreal, "the truly different North American city". Take a stroll or take a horse-drawn carriage. Best of all - it's FREE!

Crescent Street
This tiny strip, running from Sherbrooke to Rene-Levesque, is the heart and soul of the city. Famous for its trendy restaurants, fine dinning and bustling nightlife, the street is also lined with specialty shops, designer boutiques and cafes. A wonderful sense of hospitality characterizes this Street. When the sun sets you can find it all here, from live music to dancing with the best DJ’s in the city; Crescent is the street that loves to party.


Hopefully you'll have time to take part in the great things Montreal has to offer. Let us know if you do!

Scores for Cases 2 and 3

It's what you've all been waiting for - the up-to-date scores for Cases 2 and 3!!!

Click here for Case 2.

Click here for Case 3.

See you tomorrow at the live case, competitors!

Live Case - TOMORROW!

Tomorrow is our popular live case. This is where company representatives present a current real-life business case to the 36 teams simultaneously. Teams rely on the presentation of their recommendations, a brief question period, and supporting materials provided by the company that serve as background for their evaluation. Once the three hours of preparation is complete, teams present their arguments, solutions, and plans for the company to a panel of judges.

The good news? The presentations are open to the public!

The bad news? They present in two groups - one group starts to present at 14h25 and the other at 15h20. How is this bad news? It means that you can only take in two presentations - so be selective. Should you plan to attend, please make sure you are at the location 5-10 minutes prior to the presentation, and please drop by the registration desk for any supplementary information.

Here are the listings of the teams and the location of their presentation, as they are batched into their start times. We hope to see you at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth!

Presentations starting at 14h25 on Friday January 6
Aalto University (Finland) in the RSM Richter Chamberland room
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel) in the Delmar room
Brock University (Canada) in the Syne Productions room
Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf (Germany) in the CN room
Kent State University (USA) in the JMGSA room
McMaster University (Canada) in the Bombardier room
Miami University (USA) in the Standard Life room
Münster School of Business and Economics (Germany) in the EDC room
NUS (Singapore) in the Allagma Technologies room
Queen's University (Canada) in the Aéroports de Montréal room
Saint Mary's University (Canada) in the Marcam room
Team Global (Mix) in the CGI room
Universität Paderborn (Germany) in the TD room
Université Laval (Canada) in the Ivanhoe Cambridge
University of Kaiserslautern (Germany) in the BRP room
University of Ottawa (Canada) in the Molson Coors room
University of Pittsburgh (USA) in the Mackenzie Investments room
University of Porto (Portugal) in the TMX room

Presentations starting at 15h20 on Friday January 6
BEM Bordeaux (France) in the Ivanhoe Cambridge room
BiTS - Business and Information Technology School (Germany) in the Bombardier room
Concordia University (Canada) in the Standard Life room
Corvinus University of Budapest (Hungary) in the Marcam room
Dalhousie University (Canada) in the Delmar room
Lund University (Sweden) in the Molson Coors room
Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) in the Aéroports de Montréal room
Pepperdine University (USA) in the TD room
Purdue University (USA) in the Allagma Technologies room
Ryerson University (Canada) in the JMGSA room
University of Alberta (Canada) in the EDC room
University of Calgary (Canada) in the TMX room
University of Maine (USA) in the RSM Richter Chamberland room
University of Manitoba (Canada) in the Mackenzie Investments room
University of Otago (New Zealand) in the Syne Productions room
University of South Carolina (USA) in the BRP room
University of Windsor (Canada) in the CGI room
Wilfrid Laurier University (Canada) in the CN room

What a day (and night!)

So the first round of scores are in - congratulations everyone! You survived the first day. Get your scores here. For highlights, check out the day's newsletter.

Today is one of our longest days. With two cases happening between 7h30 and 17h00, we wish everyone the best of luck. We hope you remember that between the cases, the competitors are invited to a great lunch sponsored by EDC in the McCarthy Tetrault room, starting at 12h45.

By now you've already completed the second case. Hopefully you ignored the fire alarm and continued your work. Is it getting hot in here? May the best team score the highest!

The fire department was called because things got too hot in our Hospitality Suite in Room 2016!

Alright, on to the good stuff. We started bright and early yesterday, with an opening brunch - brought to you by CGI. Here are a few notable pictures:

From left to right: William J. Meder, Rios-Karim Mercier, Santiago Molano, Warren White, Peter O'Brien and keynote speaker Lorne Gorber from CGI

Competitors enjoying a hearty brunch

The fun continued - last night you all got to experience Montreal, by attending an epic game played by the Montreal Canadiens. We started off with some face-painting on the mezzanine before we were ready to head out.

Getting into the Habs spirit with our friendly face-painting photographer.

The ticket winners of our Innovation Trivia Contest - Dmitry Makarenko & Julie Tee. Congratulations!

The people you trusted to get you there.

Shawn - the Man (who made it all possible). Thanks bunches!

BiTS is ready to go! Looking great, guys.

Thank you for entrusting our volunteers with your faces and for bringing your team spirit! We had a great time meeting all of you and we'd like to thank you for making the event a great success. Here are some pictures to recap the evening:

BeM is decked out. #1s all around!

Moore School of Business, all the way from South Carolina

Welcome to the party, McMaster!

The game's started and everyone's excited

Helloooooooo Münster

The scoreboard before mayhem ensued

The scoring... it STARTED!!!! BOOM... BOOM... BOOM

Welcome participants - we hope you had a memorable evening!

But the fun won't stop there - no, no. since last night you experienced Montreal, tonight, you have to taste Montreal. Join us at the Cité du Commerce Électronique for a summary of what Montreal fare is all about. You can look forward to Montreal staples like smoked meat, bagels, maple taffy and other goodies, while also taking full advantage of the ice bar. We're going to bring the best of Montreal to you - so come, network, eat and be merry.

It Begins…

Let’s start with the obvious. The first case is happening today. As of 11h45, you’re all competing for a serious prize. Good luck to you all. I hope you’re in shape after last night’s party at Centre St-Ambroise! If you’re having trouble remembering what happened, here are some pictures to jog your memory…

There was beer - lots of beer.

There was pool (billiards).

There was even a Foosball table!

Then the SLS joined the party.

The hockey game was on!

The darts were flying.

The bikes were revving.

If you missed the opening ceremony, then you missed the live draw. All the teams have been separated into divisions. Take a look at today’s newsletter for a summary of the divisions. Also – here are some pictures from that event, where we were joined by all of the teams, coaches and Concordia University administration.

Concordia University's President Lowy

The divisions are drawn.

Your friendly and invaluable organizers.

Enough business, let’s talk fun. Yesterday, some of you took part in our City Chase and took some amazing pictures. Kudos! I felt compelled to post some… 

The Katz team from the University of Pittsburgh

BiTS team - showing their team spirit!

Kent State University being awesome.

University of Porto (EGP-UPBS) is ready to defend their title!

University of Maine was... I don't know but it's hilarious!

BEM wrote their name!

Münster gets props for an awesome shot!

Tonight is the Montreal Canadiens game. Our lucky competitors are going to take in a hockey game played by the home team, on home soil, for the first time in 2012. Who’s excited?!?! Who wants to give me their ticket?!?!?! That’s what I thought. Have a blast and - GO HABS GO!

Welcome to the Competition!

What a day! Our teams are checking in. There is excitement in the air. Our judges are eager to be inspired and the organizers can’t wait to show our competitors a good time. What better city to do it all in than Montreal?

You should have already received our first e-newsletter. There will be one sent out daily so everyone can stay in the loop. Did you get your newsletter? If not – check it out here. 

For today, we have the official opening ceremony of the competition and the opening cocktail at the snazzy Centre St-Ambroise. Enjoy the company, food and drink as you meet your competition and take in our beautiful city. Don’t forget to check out the highlights in tomorrow’s newsletter.

For up to the minute goings-on, check out #mbaicc on twitter and make sure you give us a thumbs up on our Facebook page. Feel free to tweet about your experiences at the competition! We’d love to hear from you.

So enjoy your day (and evening!) and good luck to everyone. Remember to check the blog for the latest scores throughout the competition.