We interviewed HAMK’s International Business Bachelor’s Degree students who are starting their third-year courses in August. They are in the same, part-time study group from the Campus of Valkeakoski and they form the Great Taste Team.
How did the project start?
In February The Great Taste Team 2019 organized a charity wine tasting event called Great Taste Tampere 2019 as a learning project. In addition to the wine tasting, the event included an arts exhibition and also live piano music. This practical project belonged to the module called Project SISU, with 30 credits of International Business studies. When the project started, the team received instructions and information from school, but also they had freedom about what and how to do, as long they remained conducting business. Their group had a shared interest of doing some good or charity-like activity with an innovative approach, so the concept of Great Taste began to form.
Profit for a good cause
The aim was to organize the event in the centrum area of Tampere for local lovers of wines, music, art and charity. For the venue the team chose Restaurant Frenckell & Piha, which has a perfectly located, beautiful interior and an easily adaptable space. The event took place on Saturday evening, the 2th of February 2019. The Great Taste Team wanted to achieve as big visibility and attract as many people of our target group as they could.
All profit the team made was donated to Tampereen Lastenklinikan Tuki ry. There weren’t any arguments when this charity target was chosen in the beginning of the project, as it felt very important to help sick children of our community. The purpose was also motivational, and it was clear that this kind of purpose easily gathers warm-hearted people and companies together. The money raised consisted of ticket sales, private donations and the great help received from sponsors. After expenses the amount of €4,156.29 was donated to Tampereen Lastenklinikan Tuki ry, and the money was allocated for brining joy and comfort for the patients and their families in the new Tays’ Children Hospital.
A lot of hard work, teamworking skills, patience and some bravery
At the beginning of the project, the group of 23 people was divided into several teams with different areas of responsibilities such as management, finances, marketing, sales and event coordinating. Of course, these teams worked and communicated together constantly for achievement of the set goals. As part-time students the team used a lot of online communication tools and organized regular meetings for exchanging ideas and information and maintaining open communication.
A lot of hard work, teamworking skills, patience and some bravery were needed to organize the successful event and form the concept that worked for different stakeholders. In addition, the team needed to be careful how to combine wine tasting with the charity for children. The diversity of the study group and the desire to learn brought value for the project, and many skills were needed during the process.
The whole project and the process were amazing opportunities for all students creating the Great Taste Tampere to learn about different aspects of running a business project and establishing a brand. This knowledge together with the gained experiences can be utilized in the future and in the ‘real’ working environment.
Interview by Katriina Cuthbert
Pictures by Great Taste Tampere 2019 team
