Maximilian Freier,
a Winner of the St. Gallen Wings of
Excellence Award 2006
Before I attended the St. Gallen Symposium
I had heard extraordinary things about the conference – in Munich, London, Washington and as far away
as Vancouver. My high expectations were disappointed in no way. The St. Gallen Symposium deserves every
credit as one of the leading global dialogue conferences; for its participants, its choice of topic
and its immaculate organisation.
Quite a number
of so-called ‘international’
conferences turn out to be largely national or regional events. The St. Gallen Symposium is different.
The organisers have managed to gather 600 business leaders and 200 students literally from across the
world. The symposium achieves a truly global dialogue, not only between top leaders from business and
politics, but also with a group of amazing students from the world’s leading universities.
The
St. Gallen Symposium also deserves much applause for its choice of topic, "Inspiring Europe",
at a time
when the European project is widely perceived to be in crisis. Turning European integration and European
Union politics into a conference program that was both accessible and interesting to a global audience
is an impressive achievement. I am certain the symposium has thus significantly contributed to raising
awareness and understanding for the European Union as a model for peace and prosperity in other regions
of the world and to the ongoing debate on Europe’s political and economic role in the global arena.
Finally,
one of the most impressive aspects of the St. Gallen Symposium is its perfect organisation. The level
of professionalism of the symposium – from the minute of invitation to the shuttle service back to the
airport – is hardly ever reached by commercially organised events and can only be ascribed to the huge
enthusiasm of the St. Gallen University students for their big event. They made every participant feel
very well looked after every minute of the conference, creating a perfect framework for fruitful dialogue
and debate.
To all those who worked hard to
set up this exceptional event:
Thank you very much!
Yeshan
Chen, a Winner of the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award 2006
The
36th St. Gallen Symposium allowed me to experience a lot of "firsts" in my life thus far.
It was the first opportunity I had to travel to Europe. It was also the first time I had to make a ten-minute
speech in front of more than 800 people. It was the first time I would be involved in a "home stay
programme" where I would stay in the home of my host from the University of St. Gallen. And that
would just be to scrape the tip of the iceberg of all the other "firsts" I enjoyed in the
week I was there. Rather unsurprisingly perhaps, I faced my trip up to Switzerland with an equal mix
of anticipation and apprehension.
The first
thing that really strikes
you about the sheer scale of the Symposium, is in the weeks leading up to your departure. First comes
the friendly email that informs you that you have been selected to attend the symposium. Then come more
emails pertaining to flight arrangements, lodging arrangements. As a winner of the Wings of Excellence
award, things certainly stepped up two gears with a month to go one rainy night when a member of the
ISC informed me of the result. The requests for resumes, biographic write-ups, photographs, etcetera,
started to fly in. And in the final week before my flight, I received a big envelope with everything
I would need to survive in St. Gallen: bus guide, train guide, city map, and a booklet of the schedule
of the symposium as well as all the participants. In Singapore, the Swiss Ambassador and his embassy
stuff hosted us to lunch, and spoke of the St. Gallen Symposium as something which represents the best
of all Switzerland. You would, at some point in all this, get the feeling that the St. Gallen Symposium,
is not some ramshackle gathering of students, but a truly mega-event comparable to any gathering of
global political and business leaders.
Which
in most ways, it was.
The
St. Gallen Symposium is unique for a lot of reasons. Firstly, the setting. St. Gallen itself is an idyllic
fairytale town; the symposium was also held at the end of spring, when the weather is perfect. Arriving
in St. Gallen after a fifteen-hour flight, one felt not the effects of jetlag, but immensely refreshed.
All this contributed to the relaxed atmosphere and informal friendliness that permitted not just the
actual symposium, but also the preceding Students' Programme. It was in such an environment that the
most valuable and relaxing of exchanges between the participants of the symposium – both student and
business participants – was able to thrive and flourish. There is probably no other place in the world
where young students can debate with such an array of business and political luminaries, in a frank
and honest manner, on any matter under the sun. Everybody seemed to realise and take advantage of this;
and the dialogue flowed spontaneously and freely. This is the hallmark of the St. Gallen Symposium,
and which sets it above all other events which aspire to it.
Also
rewarding
was the Student's Programme. Student participants were rewarded with the privilege of having hand-on
and highly interactive workshops with key decision-makers from Swiss banking giant UBS, as well as preeminent
St. Gallen Professor Martin Hilb. These workshops were conducted with an abundance of intellectual humility
and good humour. The next day, we were hosted at the magnificent villa on the shores of Lake Zurich
that is the Centre for Global Dialogue of Swiss Re. There, we were fortunate to debate issues relevant
to our time, like climate change and genetic profiling, with the experts.
Of
course, the success of the symposium would not be possible without the outstanding organisers, namely
the ISC and their support staff. Organisation panache in the run-up to the event aside, I was really
taught multiple lessons in hospitality by them. We were met at the airport by ISC members, and personally
driven to our hosts' homes later. During the symposium, not one of our needs was left unattended. The
organisers and staff handled everything from ushering to personally serving us our means; I can't remember
a time when someone did not make sure I had a drink in my hand. My host made sure my stay in his house
was comfortable and pleasant, and he even took me out of St. Gallen to drive go-karts – another first
for myself. All these people taught me by example, important lessons in hospitality and humility that
I will long remember, and I regard many of the ISC and supporting team members, and of course my host,
as friends for life.
The St. Gallen Symposium
showcases what is best
about Switzerland. The programme ensured that all the crucial bases of the quintessential Swiss experience
were included, from the foods from different regions of Switzerland that were served, to giving us ample
insights into how Swiss business and politics functions, and even allowing us the chance to visit chocolate
factories, watch factories, and to experience a train ride to a gorgeous little town called Appenzell.
I
met a previous ISC member who was returning to the symposium as a business participant just before the
"3 Days in May" began. He told me that they would probably represent the best thing to happen
to me in the next five years of my life.
I
think he's right.
Elidor
Mehilli, a Winner of the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award 2006
The
36th St. Gallen Symposium was in a number of ways what an international gathering of its sort ought
to be: ambitious in scope, intense, and motivating. At first, the St. Gallen idea seems remarkably simple:
bring together students from all over the world and have them engage with leaders, entrepreneurs, and
managers in a debate focused on the pressing concerns of our societies. Chances are you have heard about
such thing before. Yet, the more difficult task is to ensure that a debate does indeed take place, that
issues are well-defined by both students and business leaders, and that the often inevitable clash of
perspectives and experiences evolves into a productive exchange. This is the hard part, and it seems
to be what the St. Gallen crew gets right.
Through
an international essay competition, the St. Gallen Symposium extends a superb and unparalleled opportunity
to students from all corners of the world – from universities as far apart as Australia, India, the
Americas and Africa – to push their ideas and communicate them to an important audience that actually
listens to them. The debate is not always easy, and differences are often vast. But because the idea
of the St. Gallen Symposium is relevant not only for economists and business managers, but for specialists
in any other discipline and students interested in politics, social policy, human rights, and issues
of cultural understanding and global development, participation in this debate is not limited to any
specific educational background. I believe this makes the St. Gallen Symposium strong.
Another
feature that sets this conference apart is the impeccable organization. The ISC-Team was fantastically
motivated, always helpful, and reliable. The stay in Switzerland was comfortable throughout the pre-conference
and the actual event. This is important because it enables participants to immediately engage in relevant
discussions and get to know each other quickly. Matthias Bresser, my host, was extremely generous. The
rest of the organizing committee members were friendly, curious, courteous and always willing to have
a quick chat regardless of the immense work and the demanding schedule. The ambassadors were important,
but students did not feel left out.
Personally,
it was an honor to share my thoughts on the Balkans with such an audience. I am also thankful to the
ISC for consistently organizing the best symposium of its kind and for allowing students to discuss,
share, and often disagree with the leaders who came to speak at St. Gallen. I highly recommend this
symposium to motivated students who want to become part of an energetic and eager group of young people
interested in the important social and economic issues of our times. It will be a possibility for dialogue,
engagement, and friendship.
William
English, a Winner of the St. Gallen Wings of Excellence Award 2006
It
is rare to find people devoted to intelligent dialogue about economic, political, and social issues.
Rarer still to find them gathered together in one place with the leisure to sustain conversation. And
when such individu-als represent some of the brightest and most enthusiastic students, business executives,
and political leaders from around the globe it is truly a remarkable occasion and a treasure to those
involved. This is the reality I encountered at the St. Gallen Symposium- a gathering excellent in so
many ways that it is hard to do justice in describing it.
There
was an unmistakable feeling of energy among both the participants and organizers. Not only were people
happy to be in St. Gallen but they were also intent on making the most of their time there. Thus it
seemed as if everyone I talked to was eager to engage in candid conversation. Over the course of the
symposium I somewhat unexpectedly formed friendships with students from different corners of the globe
and am still in touch with many of them today.
The
organization of the symposium was impeccable and clearly a function of the intense dedication of the
student planning committees. My student host was likewise generous with his time and made my stay a
comfortable one. Although every aspect of the symposium’s organization was thoroughly professional,
the atmosphere remained informal enough to facilitate casual discussion. I particularly appreciated
the ease with which one could approach keynote speakers during coffee breaks and other social gatherings.
I
found the theme of the symposium – “Inspiring Europe” – a timely one. The diversity of speakers was
a testament to the breadth of thought and openness to ideas represented by the symposium’s ideal of
dialogue. I think everyone encountered talks that were enlightening as well as talks that were
challenging. Of course it was great to hear from and converse with highly accomplished professionals
from so many different fields. I found this particularly valuable, as my background has been primarily
academic. The symposium was truly an interdisciplinary forum and enabled me to better understand how
those from different industries or other continents think about issues of common concern.
I
was also
fortunate to be able to lead a discussion and I appreciated the thoughtful responses I received from
participants.
Thus I departed St. Gallen with
a sense of profound gratitude, much novel and useful knowledge, and many new friends and emails. It
was an experience I will not forget and one which I have since recommended highly to others.
We
often hear about the gravity of the intellectual and social challenges that confront our increasingly
global world. I can say without exaggeration that in providing a truly unique forum for constructive
dialogue about those challenges the St. Gallen Symposium is a service to the world.
