Day 8 – Hi there! After a late evening, returning to Rotterdam, Netherlands from separate destinations (Delft and Utrecht, respectively), it was 07:45 again and we were off!
This time around, we took a tram, thereafter, a boat (Asa, Nicole, Radwa and Sifiso only made it by the skin of their teeth). Destination? Innovation Dock! To brush up on our presentation skills, since we are nearing the end of the program and actually had our 2minute pre-presentation pitches this evening. The session basically covered highlighting the main problems we aim to solve or assist in solving in our cases. After identifying the problem to tackle, you then propose the solution you wish to apply. Tim van der Staaij (our instructor/mentor) highlighted how important it is to dress appropriately, not waffle on, not move around awkwardly or bicker over the mic.
After the presentation, we commenced with working on our cases in our respective teams, adding a few touch-ups here and there, scrapping some elements, and developing others. We also had to prep for the pre-pitches. It wasn’t easy work, but when you have the right people in your corner, good things can happen.
At 16:35 we boarded another boat, then another tram to get us to the Rotterdam Central Station area, where we did our pre-presentation pitches at this really cool place called “Venture café”. It was nerve wrecking for most of the groups, since any proper practice took place. But impressively enough, the quality of every pitch was really high! It was amazing to see how well all the pitchers performed this night. Some critiquing was done for each case of course, to help improve the cases and the actual presentations. We definitely recommend the Venture café for anyone looking to break into various disciplines and wanting to network.
The night was still young and we hadn’t had supper yet, so we took a pleasant walk over to “Bazar”, a vibrant restaurant with a lovely atmosphere. Think old Spain, mixed with an Israeli feel.
By the end of the night we all agreed we grew a little bit. For some people this growth took some unexpected measures, and nobody expected this complete character switch that occurred over dinner. Was it the dimmed lights? Was it the booze? Was it fatigue? Who knows! All we know is that we can only but embrace our new selves.
What a day! But hang in there with us…tomorrow there will be more!
By Jelle & Sifiso
