I apologize that there was not CPS newsletter in March. IBS was time-consuming. There are limitless jobs one can acquire as secretary of the Board, and I was presenting “Understanding American Culture” as well.
But it was worth it. Higgins Hall was the perfect venue, elegant, full of natural light, beautifully-maintained and decorated – and dedicated entirely to the IBS event. The break-out rooms were exactly the right size and the catering was highly satisfactory. Every speaker offered truly exciting ideas, and the lunch and speed-networking brought many people together for new opportunities. The organization went flawlessly even though there were some late nights behind the scenes.
We enjoyed the participation of a number of international business students, who worked hard to help participants and exhibitors have a great day. Here are some of their comments.
“My experience as a volunteer at the International Business Summit can be described in one word: AMAZING. As a recent graduate in a tough economy and in a new city, I know very well how hard it is to start a career. Every book will tell you that “Networking” is the key tool for every job seeker, the International Business Summit not only helped me to increase my network in size but it helped to increase my network in quality. The professionals I met during this event were the most interesting, open-minded, nice and helpful people. I also learnt from the workshops I got to participate in and from my responsibilities as a volunteer. The cherry on top had to be the organizing team, they were nice, always smiling, organized, helpful and determined to make this event as much of an opportunity for the volunteers that it was for the attendees. Overall the International Business Summit has been
the best event I have been to (as an attendee or as a volunteer) for a very long time. I could not thank enough all the persons who gave me the opportunity to participate, who trusted me and who made of this event a great success.” Sarah M, Graduate 2008 from UNF, Jacksonville, FL.
“When I first signed up to volunteer at the IBS 2009 I expected it to be just another networking opportunity. By the end of the day, I was entirely wrong and greatly surprised. From the moment I arrived I was put to good use and I felt welcome by all the members. We were faces from across the globe united by a common interest in international business. Regardless of our cultural differences, the environment was so collaborative that the long hours of work went by quickly. Yes, my priority was working and making sure I supported the event as much as possible. At some moments, it actually felt like I had let networking fall into a second plan. But at the end of the day, instead of networked, I had “team-worked”. I closely interacted with every person involved in the event; I got to meet them in a much deeper and broader sense than I could have done had I just networked. I left the IBS happy and with a much more valuable experience: I left knowing more persons and not merely having more contacts.” Bruna Zanolini, International Studies, Business, USF, Tampa FL
IBS team, I would like to thank you for the wonderful opportunity of volunteering at the IBS. I must say I was completely taken aback by the level of success of the event, it was very impressive to see how well run and well prepared everything was. As a volunteer it definitely gave me the opportunity to see first hand what it takes to make an event run as smoothly when it comes to game time. As an international business student I couldn’t help but to be drawn to a few of the workshops and I discovered that they were each led by professionals with great knowledge and a wonderful disposition to share it. As a future international business woman I found the opportunity to meet with so many prominent and well established business people absolutely fascinating and extremely beneficial. Meeting so many different people from different backgrounds was wonderful. Volunteering during the IBS, meeting the people that I met and learning everything I did, was a fantastic experience that I would repeat without any hesitation. Congratulations team IBS you truly pulled off a superb event, I can’t wait for the next International Business Summit! Julie Molina, USF, International Studies
