JDC West takes over Victoria

U of A welcomes the rest of the schools as they enter the conference room in the Delta Hotel for kickoff dance party.

Whether you were a tourist in Victoria, a student in your second week back to school, or simply passing by, you might have wondered why 600 students marched the streets in perfect formation shouting loud and enthusiastic school cheers on the weekend of January 16.

You might have wondered if it was a scene in Harry Potter where people in scarves or marching attire gather together or, in the Olympics, when athletes make their grand appearance for the Opening Ceremonies. Well, ladies and gentleman, be confused no more. Let me tell you: that large crowd of rambunctious students was JDC West.

What is JDC West, you might ask?  Well, let me tell you.

JDC West is the largest business competition in Western Canada, attended by 12 of Canada’s top universities. University of Victoria (UVic), University of British Columbia, University of Alberta and University of Saskatchewan are some of those twelve.

About 50 students from each school are divided into teams such as debate, tax, international business, management information systems, sports and social. Each team, except for sports and social, competes in case competitions. This year, the competition took place in the beautiful city of Victoria. The evening events took place in the heart of downtown Victoria and the students got down to business on campus at UVic.

It sounds like a highly competitive environment; however, it is well-balanced by a supportive atmosphere from everyone. You can see students cheering for students from other schools.

Selfie with some of the U of A students at Opening Ceremonies.

Even though I wasn’t on a team, I had the opportunity to be an ambassador for the University of Alberta (U of A). I had a great time meeting all of the 51 “beauties” from that school. (Note: “beauties” is a term that is used to refer to business students). My role was to ensure the students from U of A knew where they needed to be, support them throughout the weekend and just enjoy the conference. I surely did that.

Some of my friends were on the Organizing Committee (OC) for JDC West this year because Victoria had the opportunity to host this conference. The OC certainly put on a great show. This weekend was such a success.

Victoria (and UVic) were certainly lucky to have the opportunity to host this event, but if you ever have the opportunity to be involved, don’t hesitate. Just say I am #hottogo as this event opens up a #worldofopportunities.

Want to know more? Check out this recap video from the weekend: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwpzfxGTrEM&feature=youtu.be

Management information systems (MIS) team. Nik Malhotra, Alex By and Matt Rudy.

Skit night after a full day of case competitions.

Myself and majority of team U of A.