REPORT_ON_GEM-2015
(PUBLISHED
IN HANS INDIA – SUNDAY MAGAZINE, CONTRIBUTED BY MR DUVVURI AVINASH, MBA
GITAM
Excellence Meet, a fest, an event that every student of the GITAM Institute of
Management cherishes all through his life. The best part of this national level
management fest is its student centric and student driven characteristic. This
has helped the then Management Excellence Meet (MEM) to undergo tremendous
change and finally become what it is today.
The
excitement is always present, even from the start of the year. But, it gets to
the maximum when the selection process for the CEO starts. Yes, GEM has a
student CEO who takes up the responsibility of the whole event. The brownie
point of the event or the fest is the practical implication of core management
principles. Students find themselves into different functions like Marketing,
Finance, Human Resources and Operations as core and Creativity and Media as
ancillary departments. There will be a functional head representing and taking
care of that particular function and they all will communicate to the CEO who
is under the chief mentors who are the expert faculty of the institute.
So,
they are getting hands on experience of all the learnt theory within the class
room along with fun, learning and experience. What’s better than having a secretariat
with a secretary who deals with all the back end processes with a special
office for all the material of the event! This happens in GEM. Numerous amounts
of discussions, interactions, debates, negotiations happen and the outcome
decision is phenomenal, which is a consensus of all the students and the heads.
Marketing
team deals with two parts. One, is the promotions and the other being the core
sales. Under the promotions, there is both offline and online promotions.
Offline deals with different events like Flash mobs, press meets, rallies,
street plays, etc…
Social
media promotion deals with linking these physical offline promotions to the
virtual space to get people connected. Different social media specific events
such as Group photo contest, Dubsmash contest etc… have been conducted.
Operations
team deals with the main events in which students can participate, the cultural
night and the creativity department. So, the COO plays a vital role in success
of the event. Whatever happens big, it is because of this department.
The
finance department deals with, like we all know, the life of all the
activities, money. They deal with industry and market, go and negotiate with
different companies towards sponsorship. The proceeds of this department become
the spending of the event.
The
human resources team deals with the supply of right men at right place for the
right job. Along with it, the tech that is seen anywhere during the show is all
arranged by this department.
If
we see all these, anyone can come to an understanding that it is representing a
company and these students are literally working in a simulation, chiseling
themselves. There is another department by name Creativity, which though comes
under Operations, is considered to be separate for the amount of effort that
goes into it. The decorations, glitters and the final glamour that the
institute carried on the final days, all are because of this department.
“The
way we work, dynamically adjusting ourselves to situations therefore creating
synergy is the best part of GEM. The amount of interactions and productive
discussions are a worth mentioning”, says Akhil K. V. R. S, a final year MBA
student and the student CEO of GEM – 2015.
“Memories
that we carry after the event are phenomenal. We still remember, like a
kaleidoscope’s show, everything that happened in the last year’s GEM. It will
leave you in a trance. You will just have to love it, there is no second
thought about it”, says Alekhya Adabala, another student of MBA final year.
“An
office specially meant for GEM for all the back end activities! This happens
only with GEM. Being the secretary of this event, I personally think that a lot
of learning goes into each one of us. For me, it was a wonderful experience.
Typing, negotiating, organizing, reporting, managing and planning, everything
goes into implementing learnt theory”, says Poojitha Korpu, an MBA first year
student.
“Negotiations,
contacts, brainstorming sessions, debates, mistakes, salesmanship and all such
aspects can be seen here. Personally, leading the finance department is not a
small task for you have numerous amounts of volunteers who go onto the streets
but you find no penny coming into the account. It’s beautifully stressful.
Controlling, reporting and such managerial aspects can be learnt here”, says
Sampathi Rakesh, an MBA final year student.
“Apart
from the learning, which anyways happens, it is the fun part that is one of the
most important aspects. Coffee with faculty, ridiculous subtle jokes and
people’s sarcasm, imitating people, playing around with work and like things,
all these matter a lot in this event. The final day’s fun, the way we shout,
scream, make noise, dance and behave like a tribe, these things matter”, says Sai Teja, MBA final year
student and the HR head of the event.
“Everyone
will be involved in their work and we will be involved in capturing and
freezing them and their work. Yes, I am talking about photography. A special
photography club, specially formed for this event, which will continue in the
future, is something that’s found only in GEM. We plan, organize and set people
accordingly, staffing we call it. So, it is like a mini company within and it’s
a great fun doing it, both photography and implementing theory”, says Kaushik,
a BBM student.
The
name GEM is spread all around, every nook and corner of the city and other
parts of the state and India. There is no exaggeration in saying it is the
city’s biggest students organized events. It will keep growing better, bigger
and stronger from within.