CoStar Group’s SHARE Center held five student market study competitions in its continued worldwide support of hospitality and tourism higher education. CoStar Group is the parent company of STR.
In total, 62 teams participated representing 54 schools across 23 countries. Teams of three to six students, with the assistance of their faculty advisor, selected a market and were provided with a standard set of reports and data. Teams then analyzed the data, drew on outside resources and worked together to create a market study presentation, which was then presented to a panel of senior-level industry judges.
“The quality of the analysis and team presentations was outstanding, and the students continue to impress each year,” said Duane Vinson, STR’s vice president and assistant director of the SHARE Center. “The depth of their knowledge and the professional manner in which they conduct themselves speaks volumes about how their programs are preparing the next generation of hospitality and tourism professionals.”
Global Student Market Study Competition
Held on 19 and 20 November, and hosted by Duane Vinson, the undergraduate team of Michigan State University and the graduate team of Cal Poly Pomona won first place.
Undergraduate division
1. Michigan State University
2. Babeș-Bolyai University
3. Pennsylvania State University
"Dr. JaeMin Cha and I (co-advisors) truly have enjoyed coaching the team this year,” said Dr. SeungHyun “James” Kim, the co-advisor of the Michigan State University team. “This was our third time to be recognized as the first-place winner. This year, our student team focused on interpreting data by connecting their own interests with actionable recommendations. We feel proud of all six students for their hard work, perseverance, and dedication. We hope that this competition one of their fondest memories of their college experience.”
Graduate division
1. Cal Poly Pomona
2. Budapest Business School
3. Auburn University
“I feel grateful for the opportunity provided to engage students beyond the classroom and prepare them for professional success, said Dr. Linchi Kwok, Cal Poly team advisor. “We took the learn-by-doing approach, where students applied their knowledge from our curriculum to analyze the STR data. I enjoyed the learning experience with our students, particularly in teamwork, dedication, public speaking, synthesizing various sources of information, data visualization and analytical skills. Our team was fortunate to receive tremendous support from our industry partners, administrative personnel, faculty and staff at The Collins College of Hospitality Management and Cal Poly Pomona, and we consider this competition one of Cal Poly Pomona’s signature polytechnic experiences. We are all very proud of our students.”
Asia Pacific Student Market Study Competition
Held on 4 November and hosted by Professor Celine Quek from Republic Polytechnic, RMIT Vietnam achieved first place in this competition.
1. RMIT Vietnam
2. VinAcademy Education and Training
3. Hong Kong Polytechnic University
“The Asia Pacific Student Market Study Competition is a great platform for our students to apply what they have studied in their classrooms,” said Dr. Justin Matthew Pang, RMIT University. “It also gives them the opportunity to showcase what they have learned and their applications. After hearing of our win, several hotel chains have already contacted our university and asked if our students are keen to collaborate with them on ad-hoc analytical projects.”
EMEA Student Market Study Competition
Held on 8 November and hosted by Professor Christina Tavares from École hôtelière de Lausanne, Babeş-Bolyai University won first place in this competition.
1. Babeş-Bolyai University
2. École hôtelière de Lausanne
3. Les Roches
"We are both thankful for the opportunity and proud of our students’ performance in showcasing their data analytics and presentation skills in an international and challenging environment,” said Dr. Levente Szasz, vice dean and professor, and Kincso Kelemen, teaching assistant at Babes-Bolyai University, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
Central & Eastern Europe Student Market Study Competition
This competition was held on 11 November and was hosted by Professors Klara Karakasne Morvay and Eva Erdelyi from Budapest Business School, which placed first in this competition.
1. Budapest Business School
2. Corvinus University of Budapest
3. University of Primorska
“It was a fantastic opportunity for us to participate in the STR competition. We didn't think we'd get this far,” said Morvay and Erdelyi. “We learned a lot about tourism and analysis during the preparation. It was worth investing a lot of energy and work because we improved a lot. We really enjoyed the live final, because it gave us the opportunity to get to know students from other universities. They were very strong competitors, and we gained a lot of experience from their presentations which makes us even more proud of our own results. We are grateful for the prize money offered by La Fondation pour la Formation Hôtelière.”
Spanish Student Market Study Competition
This competition was held on 15 November and was hosted by Professor Selene Itzia Perez Martinez from Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, which won first place in the competition.
1. Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla
2. Universidad Anahuac
3. Universidad San Francisco de Quito
“Winning for the second time, the Spanish Student Market Study Competition has represented consolidation of the teaching methods and commitment that students have shown in the process,” said Itzia Perez Martinez. “This year is special as the competition has become aspirational for many students. At Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, we are committed to continue offering challenges to our students so that they are prepared to face real world situations, and we are sure that by being members of the SHARE Center, we are raising the standards of our program and preparing professional students to collaborate in the hospitality industry in the near future.”
“We are grateful for the support of those professors and their schools that hosted several of this year’s competitions,” said Vinson. “They deserve the highest praise for their coordination and graciousness throughout.”