EBS Symposium
 Contact, Congress, Career | |
| Formation | 1989 |
|---|---|
| Type | Student Organization |
Members of the Board |
Beke Flathmann Tim Kleinpeter Simon Dietsche Konstantin Seibert Linda Mehrhoff |
Volunteers | 70+ |
| Website | www.ebs-symposium.de |
The EBS Symposium is an economic congress organized solely by students of the EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht and it is one of the biggest collegiate events in Germany with 1000+ participants each year. During the Symposium various events take place on the campus. Besides topical speeches of renowned people, the participants also have the opportunity to visit the Recruiting Fair in order to get in contact with companies. During the panel discussions they can discuss with several high-ranking personalities from the worlds of business, society and politics and on the Innovations Fair they are introduced to new, creative products by up-and-coming, innovative companies.
History
In 1989, three student initiatives founded the economic symposium under the name of “Pro 90”. The idea and goal behind this event was the convergence and entering into dialog of students of different branches of study and representatives of politics, science and economics.
The first EBS Symposium was conducted under the topic of “Made in Germany – a term to be redefined” and received fantastic responses from students and participants alike. From then on, the students' aim was to establish their project as a fixed annual event at the European Business School (EBS) - and they succeeded. For the first time, in 1992, the “Bankenforum” was organized by students. This international event focused its attention on financial issues.
With students from the first and second semester organizing the event and bringing in of new ideas and fresh concepts, they are supported by the “Wirtschaftsrat”, former chairmen, as well as EBS alumni and representatives of renowned companies, who ensure that knowledge based on experience is used and implemented
In 2008, under the patronage of Thomas Enders, the 19th Symposium took place with about 1,500 participants, including 200 representatives of several companies. Among the 55 speakers were Jean-Claude Trichet, John Major and Jochen Zeitz. The 20th Symposium took place from 17th-19 September 2009 with Dieter Zetsche as its patron and, in 2010, Axel Weber the former President of the German Federal Bank served as patron.[1] Under the topic “Dawn of Demography – Import Growth or Export Knowledge?”, the 22nd EBS Symposium took place from 21st-23 September 2011 on the campus of the EBS in Oestrich-Winkel under the patronage of Philipp Rösler, the Vice Chancellor of Germany.
Content
A great number of speakers is invited to join this event and contribute to the current topic through presentations or key-note speeches. During the presentations, the participants of the congress have the opportunity of asking questions directly to the speakers. Besides the presentations, also several panel discussions take place during the event. For the first time, in 2010, a student panel was organized in which three selected students could discuss current economic problems together with business representatives. Furthermore, each year the Symposium also hosts an additional Recruiting Fair on the campus, where the supporting partner companies are given the opportunity to present themselves. Besides, an Innovation Fair is also organized each year, where the participants of the EBS Symposium can marvel at innovative works and ideas or even try them out and enter into dialogue with the presenting company. The fair offers companies not only the exposition of their products but they also have the opportunity to conduct market research and find common grounds with other exhibitors. The spectrum ranges from companies in the automotive industry to manufacturers of TVs. In 2011, the congress was framed by the integration of the partner countries (Norway, Finland, Sweden and Denmark). Several Scandinavian speakers were invited on campus, e.g. the Danish ambassador to Germany, and the countries were also included content-wise in presentations and discussions.