Laurea superheroes aiming for fame in the EMCup for hotel management students

-    Many people may think that Finns are shy and quiet. In the EMCup contest, we want to show that we can also be outgoing, witty and confident.

This is how the team of five hospitality management students from Laurea University of Applied Sciences describes its attitude. In February, the team will participate in the eminent EMCup contest for European hotel management schools. The final of the EMCup, arranged since 2009, will be held from 16 to 17 February 2020 in Maastricht, the Netherlands.

This year’s team from Laurea is called The Finntastic Five. It is composed of the hospitality management students Brenda Kaarepere, Rina Kallio, Pihla Latikka, Elli Syvähuoko and Ida Veisto.

Focus on guest loyalty

The EMCup contest gathers together students from the best hotel management schools in Europe. In addition to the Laurea team, Finland is sending teams also from Haaga-Helia and Lapland University of Applied Sciences.

The participating teams must complete various assignments both in advance and during the actual days of contest. This time, the main theme of the contest is guest loyalty, and the contestants must write an essay as a preliminary assignment.

-    The objective is to develop new ideas to ensure guest loyalty. We have prepared for the contest through a thorough study of guest loyalty programmes in Finnish and international hotel chains as well as other fields of business, Ida Veisto explains.

Visibility in social media with superhero theme

In addition to the preliminary assignment, the students have prepared for the contest by developing a brand for the team. Social media activity of the teams is also evaluated in the ‘Rumour around the Brand’ section of the contest.

-    The team name, Finntastic Five, refers to our superhero team, and our presentation video is also related to this theme, the team explains.
-    The presentations can also be found on our Facebook and Instagram accounts. The more followers, likers and activity we attract on our accounts, the better our success in the social media visibility category.

A team of Laurea students has participated in the EMCup a few times before. This year, the Laurea team really wants to show what they know and be successful in the contest.

-    We want to represent Finland and Laurea in the contest and show our strong competence. This contest is a great opportunity to measure our own level against the best students in Europe, the team of five explains.

Check the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the Finntastic Five team and like their posts! Please also like or comment Laurea students' team photo on EMCup Facebook account.