Last week, the MSc in International Business class took a “field trip” to Belgium for a five-day intensive immersion into “non Irish” culture. The trip focused on the skills required to develop business opportunities in new markets and a thorough understanding of the EU and Irelands place in it.
To give you a better idea to what was included in the trip, below is a list of highlights.
Factory Visits:
Mercedes-Benz Maastricht
DHL Aviation Centre
AB InBev: Interactive tour of the world’s largest brewing company’s European headquarters.
Living Tomorrow – Company that specialises in Future Technologies
European Parliament
Business Europe
Embassy of Ireland, Brussels
Microsoft Innovation Centre
Parlamentarium
Featured Speakers:
Mr Liam McHale, Director, Irish Farmers Association
Mr Shane Lyster, Senior European Affairs Executive, IBEC
Ms Jessie Fernandes, Adviser, Business Europe
Mr Frederik Lange, Economic Adviser, Business Europe
Mr. Mark Lange: Director, EU Institutional Relations, Microsoft
Mrs. Liadh Ni Riada MEP
Mrs. Deirdre Clune MEP
Mr. Thor Tieleman’s, Mercedes-Benz
Mr. Ciarán Conlon , Director of Public Policy, Microsoft.
Helena Nolan, Irish Ambassador to Belgium
Throughout these visits, we were responsible for a continuous reflection log, as well as a group presentation regarding the benefits of Ireland’s membership in the European Union. So, as one can imagine, this trip was quite exhausting, but as an American student, living in a foreign country, attending numerous European hubs for businesses and politics, in the wake of Brexit, hearing from Irish representatives… incredible all at the same time. The trip reiterated the the importance of being an active and engaged citizen, regardless of what country your passport reads, and further inspired me to make consistent efforts in seeking to make a positive impact both at home and abroad.
#IntoEU
You two better be writing stuff down, because you know not everyone gets to do this right?
Coach Pat Price
