Thursday - July 2, 2009

The day started with a final review by the program’s marketing professor, Olivier Kovarski. It was a format most of us had not experienced, as each group was evaluated publicly, in a gentle, but direct way. Professor Kovarski announced the top two groups in the running for the “best project” award…my friend Keri’s group, with its blueberry wine product was one of the top two, as well as our group with our Saranac Summer Brew beer! We were thrilled!

Professor Kovarski gave general praise and opportunities for improvement in a way as to not give away which group was favored to be the winner. The criticism was constructive and valuable, definitely a learning opportunity. He presented a final lecture on some significant marketing points that needed revisiting by the entire group, core components of the program’s learning. Again, he is very knowledgeable and delivers teachings in an interesting and understanding manner.

We boarded a bus at 3:45pm to go to the Torres Winery for a tour and our final farewell banquet. The afternoon/evening turned out to be quite a treat! The winery is a family run business in its 5^th generation with vineyards not only in Spain, but Chile and Napa Valley. I was so impressed with the facility for many reasons. Not only is it an award winning winery for its product, but the “experience” offered to visitors is “state of the art” (more later on that), and the operation is almost completely sustainable physically. The organization has received many awards for its support of the environment, as the facilities were not only “green”, but much of the terrain is cared for to support wildlife. The Spain vineyard is almost 100% solar powered, and has storm water recycling systems in place. The storage facility is built underground for energy efficiency in providing exact climate control, and all systems operate with exact precision for maximum utilization of resources. Torres offers a plethora of wine products as well as brandy, and the products are available worldwide.

The “visitor experience” included “tunnel theatre” that included multimedia to appeal to the eyes, ears and nose. Visitors then board a small train and go out into the vineyard, through the processing, storage, and packaging areas. To view the storage area, the train went underground where we saw another multimedia presentation including holograms, and the screens were then raised to reveal the thousands of barrels lined up in storage. The entire presentation was completely automated and truly astounding It was one of the most impressive marketing tools I have ever seen, and sure enough it worked! Upon completion of the tour, there was a wine tasting and time in the wine shop. Many purchases were made - consumers influenced by the “experience” and set up for the “ultimate circumstances for consumption and/or purchasing”. Torres welcomes visitors to experience not only the wine but the culture of wine.

We took a group photo of our final get together, then it was off to the banquet, and a feast it was! Our private dining room was set perfectly to enhance the wine experience, and the menu planned to compliment four different wine servings plus a final cap of brandy. The meal started with a vegetable and squid dish with wine #1, then a beef with caramelized onions with wine #2, followed by a serving of two different cheeses with wine #3, and an orange sorbet dessert with a dessert wine, #4. Espresso followed and finally brandy. It was all scrumptious – what a way to celebrate the completion of the Know Europe 2009 program!

Following our meal, each student received a certificate of completion. Our group had become more than just a group in a month’s time, and each person received cheers from the crowd when your name was called. In addition to the learning and the various cultures experienced, friendships had been forged, one of the greatest takeaways of all. We presented a gift of appreciation to Clementine, who had been the program assistant, with us every day, helping with arrangements, answering questions, putting out fires, and helping us make the most of the trip. She was touched by the gesture and the tears flowed.

And finally the announcement of the best project for Know Europe 2009. Professor Kovarski prefaced the announcement by saying the decision was a difficult one, and he praised the collective effort of the group one final time. Then it was announced that Saranac Summer Brew was the winner – that was my group! Woo hoo – the hard work paid off, and I brought the trophy home! It had been a challenging project, but one that yielded much learning and understanding of marketing and releasing a product in Europe. Much thanks to Jibsam and Nicole for hanging in there with me to push a little further than just satisfactory with every step. But then again, if you know me, you know that’s pretty common for me the overachiever. VOILA we did it!

After final pictures at Torres, we boarded the bus to head back to the hotel in Barcelona. It was our final night as a group in Barcelona, so we all intended to celebrate. There was a great place just down the street called The Elephant that was hosting another school’s program completion, so we were among other students celebrating accomplishments and each other. It was a fun “after party” for all.

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Yesterday Nicole represented our group in the drawing for the order in which groups would present. She drew the first position, presenting at 9:30am! We had worked hard, were prepared and rested, looked smart in our business attire (I wore the new suit I purchased in Paris and shoes bought the day before in Barcelona). It was time!

The presentation went well, then the hard part…. 20 minutes of oral defense through questions from the two judges on the jury. Now that was grueling! Dr. Overby was present in the room as well as Armel Esnol, Program Director, and several other students. We were asked specific and very challenging questions regarding the positioning of our product, why our product could outperform its competitors, our packaging, viability of the partnership we proposed for Saranac with Anheuser Busch InBev, the “circumstances of consumption”, strategy, etc. We were “on the spot” for sure, but we made it through! I stayed around to watch three other groups’ presentations, then put it all behind me. The work was done, our best effort was given, it was time to enjoy the final days of this amazing trip.

After some lunch I intended to take a quick nap and recharge for the afternoon, but that turned into my crashing for two hours. I guess the finality of completing a task we had been focused on for almost a month had exhausted me. I needed the break, rest from all that built up to the morning’s “showcase”. We would not find out until tomorrow morning what two groups would be in the final consideration for the “best project” award, but the hardest part was now over. What a relief.

With eight groups to present, the presentations were not over until 7pm. Most of the group met down on the beach at 8pm for some dinner and relaxation. The shoreline is so tourist friendly, many restaurants and wide walkways for bicycles, joggers, etc. The beach is open 24/7, so even after dark, it is full of groups sitting in conversation, playing frisbees, sand sculptors, musicians, etc. The breeze was nice, the temperature perfect. We all had such relief to be done with presentations and enjoying the downhill slide with only a few more days remaining in the program.

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

It’s almost show time, presentation day for the program project each of eight groups has been working on for more than three weeks during our travels to five different European cities. There is considerable anxiety in the air; some groups are better prepared for the final evaluation than others, but all are ready to be done.

The group met in the lobby at 9:30am to walk over to the Facultad Informatica Barcelona, an Information Technology school whose facilities we would utilize during the final days of the program. Dr. Overby, my marketing professor from Belmont, was scheduled to join us the last couple of days of the program, he is the director of the International Business department at the Massey, Graduate School of Business at Belmont, and was in the lobby to meet us. It was good to see a familiar face, and I was excited to share the work we had been doing with one of Belmont’s representatives.

We received a welcome and introduction from the Facultad Informatica school’s representative, as well as an overview of the exchange programs offered, and then taken to the computer lab where we would have access to work over the next two days.

Our group wrote our quick summary paper to accompany the presentation and rehearsed until early afternoon. We were as ready as we could be, would do one last run through Tuesday evening, but had decided to take the afternoon to get out into Barcelona.

Many in the group were excited to go to the beach, as Barcelona’s man made beach is right in the midst of the city, easily accessible, and a very popular place. The palm trees along the boardwalk were brought in from Morocco, and the shoreline dug out to create the beach that is open 24/7 for every kind of social activity imaginable. The odd shaped building in the distance is a hotel.

On this afternoon, I opted to see more sights and do some shopping. It was blazing hot and dry, but I headed down the hill to the Maria Christina Metro station and set out for the famous Las Ramblas, Barcelona’s main boulevard in the old city. Las Ramblas begins at the Placa de Catalunya (pictured at the left), a vast central square that divides old and new Barcelona. North of the square is called Passeig de Graciaare, with all high end stores, and as you head south toward the beach, the entire atmosphere changes.

The grand boulevard changes from rich to rough, in a one mile stroll. It is said you can “raft the river of Barcelona life” past a grand opera house, elegant cafés, prostitutes, pickpockets, con men, artists, street mimes, outdoor bird market, great shopping, and people looking to charge more for a shoeshine than what you paid for the shoes. It is truly a unique walk down a crooked path that literally narrows as you go. Rambla means “stream” in Arabic, and The Ramblas used to be a drainage ditch along the medieval wall that once defined what’s now called the Gothic Quarter. I took in quite the sights during my walk, picked up some souvenirs along the way, and even a couple of great deals on boutiques engaged in sale season.

Our group met back at 9pm for a final run through of the presentation. We were confident that our preparation and hard work had paid off and we were ready for tomorrow – presentation and “oral defense” which is what the program called the Q&A we would have 20 minutes of from the jury. It was so hard to believe we had worked all this time and had been traveling together for almost a month. Many new friendships had been forged, and the knowledge and experiences gained in this short amount of time I will carry with me forever.

Monday - June 29, 2009

I slept like a baby all night on the train, woke up to a drastically different landscape out the couchette window…. Spain. The sun was out fully at 8:30am as we pulled into Barcelona. It was hard to believe we had been in four hotels in three weeks, and that it was almost July. Some in our group didn’t have the restful night I claimed, due to motion sickness, and also due to the excitement of an all night train ride and opportunity to continue celebrating being in Europe. All stumbled out of the train, dragging bags, sleepy eyed, but eager to get back on stationary ground.

Our bus was waiting, and we got to the hotel about 9:30am, but our rooms would not be ready until the afternoon. All the luggage was piled into a holding room, and we set off to find food and explore our new neighborhood. We learned there would be a huge hill to walk up/down to get to anything – food, Metro, shopping. It was fine on the way out, as it was downhill, but we always dreaded the hike back, especially if loaded down with bottled water and/or other purchases.

We were excited to have air conditioning, spacious bathrooms, and comfortable rooms once again. Everyone hit the showers, more than ready after a full day of walking on Sunday in the Paris heat, then an overnight train, then several hours in the Barcelona heat. We had just a couple of hours before boarding a bus for a city tour… needless to say, we were all dragging.

A bus tour was the right choice for an introduction to Barcelona. We’d have never made it if we had to walk the tour. We had an excellent tour guide who shared lots of facts and trivia, as well as humor about the sites on our tour. Barcelona is the capital of the region of Catalunya, where the language of Catalan is preferred over Spanish. The city is known for its architecture, its Barri Gotic alleys, boulevards, and grid-planned new part of town, called Eixample. Barcelona is a former Roman colony, and in modern times has been a top textile and manufacturing center.

We saw most of the major sites in Barcelona from the bus, including the Olympic Stadium, the beach and port, the art school where Picasso studied, and other historic sites.

However, the centerpiece for all Barcelona is Sagrada Familia (Holy Family) Church, the work of Barcelona’s famous architect, Antoni Gaudi. Sagrada Familia has been under construction since 1883, and is the landmark of the city. The amazing structure is still not expected to be completed for another 75-100 years. The project if funded completely by private donations and tourists’ entry fees. The design is rich with symbolism from the Bible. The story of Christ’s Passion unfolds in the shape of a Z, from bottom to top. When Gaudi died in 1926, only the stubs of four spires stood above the building site. The rest of the church has been inspired by Gaudi’s vision but designed and executed by others. The ever present cranes and construction equipment are a constant reminder of continuous progress and adaptation as time passes. Sagrada Familila is the most unusual house of worship ever designed, and offers a fun look at a living, growing, bigger-than-life building.

We also took a quick walk through the 30 acre Park Guell, another of Gaudi’s masterpieces. I loved the whimsical design in this park, colorful, fun and care free, a place to feel freedom and expression, with a magnificent view of Barcelona. Gaudi originally planned the area to be a high end residential, gated community to accommodate 60 homes, but he was ahead of the times with this plan, so it became a park open to the public instead. He used mosaic tile work in the décor, one of the earliest known uses of the mosaic style recorded.

Our group met after dinner for a short time to make final changes to the presentation, and assign who would speak to what. We planned to use Tuesday (allotted for final group work) to rehearse repeatedly. Our hotel had laundry facilities on site, so I decided to do a load while we were working. When I pulled my wet clothes from the washer, I heard something drop to the floor…. It was my little green flash drive made from recycled plastic bottles that I thought was lost! I couldn’t believe it! Although I had recreated most of the changes to the presentation that I thought were lost forever, the version on the flash drive had all the animations to the file that had taken so much time to insert, so my fingers were crossed that it would still work. I hurriedly climbed the two flights of stairs to where Nicole and Jibsam were in a study room. They were shocked to see the little green drive in my hand and we all held our breath as I plugged it in my computer. The only thing different was that it was now a clean, green flash drive! Wow – unbelievable – all worked perfectly and we were able to recover the version of the presentation we had worked so hard on in Paris. What a good way to end the day!