Zapopan, Jalisco; October 10, 2023.- For the second consecutive year, students from the Escuela Superior de Administración de Instituciones (ESDAI) of the Guadalajara campus had the opportunity to participate in the PCMA Global Student Competition, in which they were finalists. Universidad Panamericana campus Guadalajara had the opportunity to participate in the PCMA Global Student Competition, in which they were finalists.
What is the PCMA Global Student Competition?
PCMA is an international meetings industry association with a presence in 59 countries. To create a link between students and the industry, each year it holds the Business Events Industry Challenge, which engages teams to gain greater knowledge and understanding of the industry by creating a successful event.
Target
The main objective of this challenge is to create an innovative proposal for a variety of events, including meetings, incentive travel, exhibitions, trade shows, consumer shows, conventions, conferences, congresses and product launches.
Evaluation
Aspects evaluated include idea formulation and event concept, relevance to the industry, strategic and operational planning, marketing strategies, innovation, commercial viability, presentation skills and teamwork.
Regional Achievements
This year, in the Latin American region, a total of 18 teams participated, representing 14 universities from different countries, such as Chile, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico and Panama, among others.
On this occasion, the team formed by María Inés Rojas Barba, María José Ortega Macazaga, Ruth Sofía Rodríguez Rivera and Sofía Alejandra Valencia García, ninth semester students of the Administration and Hospitality career , was selected as one of the five winners of the regional semifinal.
This means that they will represent the region in the global final to be held next November.
"Thanks to Universidad Panamericana for allowing me to live this experience where I was able to apply all the knowledge acquired throughout my career. I also want to thank the PCMA team for guiding us all the way."- María José Ortega Macazaga.
Taste of the Future
The event proposal presented by the team is entitled "Taste of the Future". This event proposes a full academic program that includes conferences, workshops and a commercial exhibition. Its main focus is to address the problem of food waste in the hospitality industry, one of the main sources of this problem. A prominent feature of this proposal is the incorporation of Artificial Intelligence as an innovative component to address this challenge.
Mentoring
To carry out this successful proposal, the students received valuable mentoring from three experts in the events industry: Alejandra Gonzalez, David Hidalgo, Norma Bock and the coordination of Dr. Ana Gabriela Ramirez Gutierrez.
"This is the second time we have participated in this competition and we have been selected among the finalists in Latin America. Undoubtedly, it is a great opportunity for the students to demonstrate their skills and knowledge acquired throughout their studies; it also allowed them to meet personalities who work in this industry and challenge themselves to generate a viable and innovative event" - Dr. Ana Gabriela Ramírez Gutiérrez.
The Universidad Panamericana campus Guadalajara congratulates and wishes the ESDAI students the best of luck in the next stage of the competition, next November.
