INSPIRA’23 INTER - COLLEGIATE BUSINESS FEST

Considering that the Pandemic caused a life-changing experience for the entire human race. This event aimed to test participants' survival skills as well as their ability to strategize their way through the events. The theme of Inspira'23 brought back memories and incidents that the participants had encountered in real life in the form of a full-fledged business event.

Inspira’23 was a two day inter-collegiate business fest conducted in Christ (Deemed to be) University, Lavasa Campus. This fest hosted eight events during the two day time period.

The Inauguration ceremony was held on 30th of January,2023 in the Auditorium, Central Block. Many students from prestigious colleges were present for the ceremony along with the Chief Guest of Honor Dr. Jayanta Chakroborty, Head of department for Bachelors of Business Administration (Business Analytics) Dr. Parameswaran S, Batch coordinator Prof. Akhil Kulkarni, Faculty coordinator Dr. Jayashree Bhattacharjee and Christ University School of Business and Management Association faculty coordinator Prof. Anna Anjaly Joy. Each event conducted 4 rounds on the first day and 2 rounds on the last day of the event.Each event had an average of 13 participants each; the marketing event having the highest number of participants, that is 26 participants. On day 1 the participants were thoroughly engaged with each round that required their use of technical knowledge, critical thinking ability and persuasive verbal abilities.

Day 2 of Inspira’23 was filled with a highly competitive atmosphere as the event was nearing the end. On the 31st of January,2023 the Valedictory Ceremony for Inspira’23 was held in the Central Block Auditorium. The winners for each event were announced and prizes along with certificates were handed over to the winning participants.

The fest consisted of eight events overall:

- Best Manager

- Best Management team

- Best Entrepreneur

- Marketing

- Finance

- Analytics

- Strategics Management and Public Relations

- Human resource management

Following were the events conducted and their proceedings:

1) Best Manager:

There were a total of ten people who participated in this event. On the first day, no participants were eliminated. The Best Manager award is given to the person who can think critically in a short period of time and come up with creative yet viable solutions that have the potential to change the world for the better. In a highly competitive environment, these individuals are expected to have grit and a survival instinct.This event is a way to validate their worth, knowledge, and abilities. The first three rounds of the event included elements in which participants were given a time limit and had to solve problems such as handling an art exhibition, analyzing how to revive a half-dead world, and solving big data problems in a futuristic manner while keeping the fest's theme in mind: Apocalypse. There were only 7 people left at the end of the event.

2) Best Entrepreneur:

There were a total of 13 people in attendance. On the first day of the event, there were two rounds. An entrepreneur is expected to have a wide range of skills, including creativity, initiative, problem-solving, resource management, and financial and technological knowledge. This enables the individual to easily adapt to changes and potential risks. The rounds in this event required participants to analyze their financials and how acquiring external companies might affect their overall standing and revenues. The rounds tested their knowledge and critical thinking skills as participants were required to create a full-fledged business plan. This event had a total of 5 participants at the end.

3) Marketing:

There were a total of 26 participants, divided into 13 teams of two members each. A marketer is a master of words and has the ability to easily persuade others. This event helped participants hone their marketing skills by putting them through rounds of competition. The participants' creativity was judged in order to come up with a product that would sell during an apocalypse. They were put to the test based on their knowledge by allocating funds to specific marketing schemes. At the end of the event, four teams with eight participants remained.

4) Finance:

This event had 16 participants, divided into 8 teams of two people each. During this finance event, there was a round about funding a new or growing business, where the company needed to raise capital from investors in exchange for equity or debt in the company. The finance rounds included concepts such as seed funding, angel funding, venture capital funding, IPO (Initial Public Offering), and even merger and acquisition.The goal of a finance round is to test participants' ability to separate and prioritize which functions receive funds, so each participant was expected to present their assigned company using their high numeracy and sound technical skills, as well as their keen observational skills, while demonstrating their financial abilities. At the end of the event, there were four teams remaining, each with eight participants divided into teams of two.

5) Analytics:

This event began with eight teams of two participants each. Analytics tests everyone's limits, forcing them to think outside the box at a much faster rate. This event not only prepared the participants for this, but it also assisted them in mapping their way into the world of coding, computing, and reading through a glass ball. It also required participants to be able to detect problems and trends in a specific region and devise feasible solutions. The analytics event organizers devised activities that engaged participants while also allowing them to take a tour of Christ (Deemed to be) University's Central Campus. At the conclusion of the event, there were four teams of two participants each.

6) Strategics Management and Public Relations:

There were 14 participants in total, so there were 7 teams of two people each. Strategic managers are expected to have critical analytical and thinking skills as part of their competencies. They are in charge of developing policies that provide a competitive advantage, thereby distinguishing their company from competitors. This event tested their communication skills by assigning rounds in which participants had to figure out the identities of the victims, as well as their convincing and negotiating abilities. This event at the end had a total of 12 participants, divided into 6 teams of two.

7) Human Resource Management:

This event featured eight teams, each with 16 participants and two participants. Human resource skills are abilities that help human resource professionals carry out their key responsibilities. Examples include interpersonal skills, recruiting, and effective communication. This event tested participants' ability to read people, hire the right people for the right job, and negotiate for the best-priced employees. At the end of the event, three teams remained, consisting of six participants divided into two groups of two.

8) Best Management team:

There were 12 participants at the start of this event, with three participants per team. The best management event is one of the most difficult because it requires a group of people to collaborate in order to come up with strategic decisions, viable solutions, and the ability to work in unison. Curating a financial budget, product description and placement, recruitment plans under a strict budget, and merging with other participants were all part of this event's rounds. There were four teams left at the end of this event.

To summarize, Inspira'23 had 84 participants and 11 colleges participated in the festival. As a result, the BBA(Business Analytics) students and Christ University School of Business and Management Association had a very successful event. Following that, students from all the colleges across India had participated enthusiastically. We saw the best managers and their teams battle the pressure of competing against the clock. We saw the rise and fall of stocks, as well as how future traders intend to react to the news. We saw elevator pitches and products being developed for a better tomorrow. The rounds were both challenging and educational.

Each judge arrived ready for a heated round of questioning. Stress interviews, presentations, and crisis aversions were all used to simulate a "real world" setting. Overall, the participants, organizing members, and everyone involved gained a variety of experiences