Hi, my name is Michael and I am a Business/Maths student at QUT. AUBCC was my first international case competition and I was incredibly excited. Being in my home town of Brisbane, I looked forward to sharing local insights and cultural hotspots with the incoming international teams.
 
What was the most challenging part of cracking the different cases?

The most challenging part of cracking the cases was certainly the diversity of style and content in each case. Case 1 required a tailored approach to market sizing and advising a small business on whether to pursue wholesale or delivery-based options. Case 2 involved evaluating three options for a property development company to diversify into aged care and discussing these in a boardroom meeting. Case 3 suggested an innovative platform-based solution to leverage an existing brick-and-mortar marketplace. The ability to crack vastly different cases meant teams needed to have malleable frameworks, instead of generic pre-made solutions.
 
What would be your best advice for competitors competing in an international case competition for the first time?

Competing in your first international case competition is daunting. While I certainly found practicing thoroughly for the competition helpful, little can prepare you for the real thing. An ability to work collaboratively with your team is essential, as strong conversations lead to solid solutions. It is useful to have controversy with civility; that is, healthily challenging each other’s ideas to ultimately structure the most logical and robust solution. Be strong, work together and trust the process.

If you could describe AUBCC in three words what would they be.
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In 3 words, AUBCC was vibrant, diverse and challenging.
 
I cannot recommend the experience highly enough- hopefully AUBCC 2018 is even better!
 
I am second from the right in this team photo, smiling widely as I think about our incredible day at Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary. 

What was your greatest memory from AUBCC? 

Winning a free picture with the koalas at Lone Pine after my team hustled through the Brisbane Unlocked scavenger hunt - in the pouring rain!
 
What would be your best advice for competitors competing in an international case competition for the first time? 

Set goals with your team and appreciate the small wins. While winning first place is always the dream, there are so many factors you can’t control (judges, cases, team draws). So just take it one case at a time, trust the process, and enjoy yourselves! 
 
What do you think is the secret to a successful team at a case competition?  

I think the secret ingredient is blending people who are not afraid to take risks with their crazy out of the box ideas with others that will not budge on practicality and feasibility. From my teams’ experience, these different personalities and mindsets can be very complementary and useful for tackling any case type.