BESTiar - January by Flavia Husar

BESTiar january

edition

contents Battle interview CMS 4 Battle interview vs Cepo

13 views on GAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;14

12 COurses in Best

specialT thanks to editors : FLaVia, Madi designer : FLaVia guests : Stefan, Georgi, Iustina, Vivi, DIana, Mada, Cepo, Brindu, Roxi, Cristina, Axu, CMS.

enjoy your read

BATTLE 1 2 3 4

CEPOV

answering questions from cms What made you take the leadership for the GA project ? At first I didn’t want to do it. Three years ago, when I was a local boardie I had a dream, that LBG Bucharest will organise GA next few years (so I can be there). Step by step we got closer and I volunteered for coordinating preps for our application. After we won it was too late to step back so I decided to finish what I started. Looking back I know it was the right call. The same as happened in 2007 when we were running against Tallin, you had to pitch GA Bucharest project as an alternative to GA Krakow and the same as in our case, there was a quite balanced competition.What was the crucial reason / turning point that made the GA participants vote for GA Bucharest? Well the presentations were both good and the content more or less the same. To be honest I think we were a bit more prepared at the questions round. In my opinion it was also a difference in the attitude, we went there to present and promote an option that we considered the best, not to convince and sell. Last but not least, my appealing smile. Do you think lobby matters when running for a position or for organizing an event? I think it depends on how you translate lobby. If you want to influence people and you’re starting superficial relationships only to promote yourself or your event, with no real meaning, people will notice and it will come back to you. And it’s lame. If you are meeting new people, relating and getting to know each other, it will be easier for them to see if they are in good hands so it can

help both parts involved. In any case, I think it can be powerful and decisive. And personal branding plays an important part in it.

Why do you think you have the best possible team for organizing the GA?

Because we have the perfect mix. We have Alina, PR in local board two years ago, experienced, independent and supportive as Website Responsible. We have Axu, last summer course coordinator, experienced, caring and very sociable as Social Responsible. We have Brindu, new (joined last year) and full of enthusiasm and ambition as Logistics Responsible. We have Cris, last year boardie (Treasurer), experienced, pragmatic and hard working as OOD responsible. We have Flavia, new (also joined last year), enthusiastic and passionate as PR responsible. We have Gigi, alumnus and ex-RA (so no experience here), calculate and our expert as Alumni Meeting responsible. We have Mada, new, smart, ambitious, and the perfect choice for 25th Anniversary Party responsible. We have Roxi, last year boardie (Corporate Relations), experienced, charismatic and hard working as FR responsible... and me, trying to synchronize all these fantastic people and their resources. This is 1% of the reasons I consider GA team the best possible team.

Which are the strengths and weaknesses of the LBG in the context of organizing the GA?

Strengths : the team, FR power, LBG development & motivation, high standards for events. Weaknesses : overwhelming calendar of events, limited budget, main organiser.

INTERVIEW

cms VS 1

answering questions from cepo

Everyone remembers the first kiss. Who was yours in BEST ? Of course I remember my first kiss in BEST! It was during PM 2007, right after the elections for next PM organizers. The tradition is that the former Main Organizer gives the PM sword to the newly elected LBG and… kisses the LBG delegate in front of all other 150 delegates! As you can see in the picture below, it was not the best kiss, but for sure one to remember! :)

work hard for more than a year, for just a few days of fun! And when I say fun, I mean you have all European nationalities present at your parties (this means a very interesting International Evening), you have entire BEST leadership present, all the committees and more important you have an entire LBG working as one. In my view GMs represent the best of BEST. We recruited new members in Autumn and we’ll host GA in Spring, any recommendation for them ? My recommendation for the newbies is to taste as much as they can from BEST experience - be internationally minded and attend many BEST courses, make new friends all over Europe, be involved in organizing events, get feedback from their peers, discover their strong points and try to develop those as much as possible. In the same time, GA2014 is a “once in a lifetime” event and should not be missed for any reason. They will see there why! :)

What is your personal opinion regarding manipulation ?

What is the secret of your endless enthusiasm for BEST and specially for General Meetings ?

I don’t like manipulation and neither people who want to manipulate other persons.

There is no secret! I just enjoy BEST and BEST people, as they are all very special. What I love about BEST is the mix of different people, with different skills and backgrounds, that all share similar values (fun, friendship, teamwork,..). General Meetings are the events when “work hard, party harder” really comes into play - you

Which is your favourite event in BEST and why ? Of course, for me the BEST event ever was PM2008 for many reasons. Please find below some of them:

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Having in mind that for PM 2008 there How will you ensure the smooth wakewere a few hundred litres of beverages up of the sleepyheads in order to be in (mostly alcoholic ones), what should we the plenary on time? expect for GA 2014? 1. Throw cold water on them in the Certainly the same FR effort to allow us recreate mornings that scenario, we’ll find soon if the results are 2. Bang pots and pans around their beds different. 3. Form a rock band with other organizers and play loudly in their rooms 4. Force them to go from the party Multiple choice questions. In case directly to the plenary and sleep on none of the choices pleases you, their LBGs’ chairs please create your own answer: 5. Ask organizers of opposite gender as each of the sleepyheads to spend Are the drinks going to be free of charge the night with them in the rooms and for the participants? subsequently make sure they don’t fall asleep at all 1. Only for participants 2. Only for Alumni (taking into account All of the above. And more. they pay a participation fee) 3. Only for girls How will you entertain the plenary ? 4. Only for those who win some (drinking, dirty dancing...) contests ? 1. Sing and dance traditional Romanian 5. Only for organizers songs 2. Ask the girls from the team perform If the FR for alcohol goes well we will have some belly dance in front of the plenary surprises for everyone, if it doesn’t we will have 3. Frequently interrupt the sessions to some surprises for everyone. make announcements regarding the following parties In the happy case you will raise more 4. Provide each of the participants with money than needed for paying all free alcoholic shots instead of water logistics needed for GA, what will you 5. During the sessions, project do with the money? compromising pictures with the participants from the night before’s 1. Organize one more party for all the party. participants in a 5* hotel 2. Refund travel expenses for all Option two is my favourite, I hope to convince participants them to do so. If not, maybe there will be other 3. Give the profit to the international girls willing to accomplish this task. Also, five will BEST treasury totally happen if participants won’t behave. 4. Share the money between organizers 5. Keep the money for yourself (shhhttt)

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I always wanted to be entrepreneur so I option 5 fits but in this case I think we’ll invest the extra money in the social part of event and other ways to increase the quality of GA.

BEST wishes to our honorific president & see you at GA!

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What is, in your opinion, the key ingredient of Bucharest’s success for General Meetings ?

If we speak about getting elected for organizing GMs I think our unique combination of enthusiasm and motivation makes us such strong candidates. Then if you speak about organizing GMs, there is our team spirit and hard work that everyone invests every single day before the event. And most important, we are FUN people and this is the key ingredient for transforming a well organized GM in truly unforgettable moments. Quoting a member, BEST is “travelling, sex, friends, leadership and personal development”. What’s your personal ranking of these ? Usually you join BEST for travelling, then you meet new people with the same interests as you and they become your friends. Then you get more and more involved, you want to organize better and bigger events and you improve your skills. After you get some experience you want to help others develop themselves too and this is when you become a leader.

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GA is the biggest event of BEST, what could be next step for LBG Bucharest ? Indeed, organizing a GA is a huge challenge at all levels (HR, FR, Logistics, University Support), but the nice part in BEST is that you always find new challenges. I’m sure the team will have the motivation to find the right “new thing” for BEST Bucharest.

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Good luck and see you all at GA! :)

You were the social responsible of PM Bucharest ‘08, do you have any advices for this year’s responsible (Axu) ? Axu is the best social responsible I’ve ever seen and she doesn’t need advice from an oldfashioned alumnus. I’m sure all the parties will be unforgettable and I can’t wait to be there having fun with all of you!

Now, several years after PM, do you think that experience helped you professionally ? If yes, how ? Everything I’ve learned in BEST helped me professionally. Only when you interact with people that were not part of such an experience, you understand how much you have learned during your BEST adventure: communicating in an international environment, giving and receiving feedback, being able to work in (and lead) a team, being organized, possessing presentation skills, pitching your ideas and many more.

13 views GA on

2014 by Flavia

“

13 Bucharest besties were asked “what does ga’14 mean for you?“ These are their answers:

Local events bond core-teams. BEST courses bring together an entire LBG for a week. Go international and you might experience a committee meeting. Go crazy and run for Management! Reach for the sky and decide to give a speech for the Board!But know that no matter how old you are in BEST, what you did, what you’re doing right now or what’s on your mind for these years to come, there’s only this one thing that bridges across generations of BESTies like no other. There’s only one event after which “Because we can!” seems a lot harder to top-off. I was lucky enough to hear the words “GA’14 goes to Bucharest!” You are even more so to hear “GA’14 was truly the BEST GA ever!” Make sure there’s a part of you in that BEST!

“

,, stefan

“The host of General Assembly 2014 is BEST Bucharest!”

Hearing these words in the plenary during my mandate as President of BEST Bucharest is one of the most meaningful moments in my life as BESTie. It was the result of almost one year of hard work, months of hopes, motivation and worries.One of my favorite memories in BEST is for sure the day we came back from GA Valladolid. It was Saturday, early in the morning, 7 o’clock as I remember. But it wasn’t too early for the super enthusiastic BESTies who were waiting for us at the Arrivals Terminal, properly equipped with “aGAin Bucharest” posters and placards! Seeing together alumni and active members being cheerful for our dream came true was fascinating.

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,, Georgi

Fighting for your own dream is challenging. Fighting for the dream of more than 70 people is magic.

I consider myself to be very lucky. Why? Because I joined BEST at the perfect moment. This is my second year of BEST and I think I am between “the lucky ones”. I heard whispers about GA last year and I wondered what it was. I found out this is the biggest event that someone can organise and a lot of BESTies from my LBG hoped to organise it. I’m lucky because I was able to participate to the preparation of my LBG for the application, to the good news that we were the winners and that my LBG will be the host for the next GA. Not at least, I’m more lucky to be this year in board and be able to be involved in organising the best GA ever. Thank you, BEST, for this opportunity! I know I’m lucky to be the right person at the right moment!

,, Vivi

“

GA Bucharest has been the dream of the LBG for years, since I entered BEST. We’ve made a PM, but the flame has still been on since then and new generations have made it bigger and bigger. It was a great moment when I gave feedback on the application, I felt amazing that I could support the LBG until the end of the fight. Being in the middle of the plenary at GA Valladolid, when the presentation was made, was an intense moment, with a lot of emotions. Delivering the knowledge transfer for the core team was a moment of wonderful memories, a strong desire to transfer to the team all the knowledge accumulated in so many years and a feeling of admiration for this generation. Organising a GA is a crazy thing, but an unforgettable experience and it will be great to hear the organisers saying, at the end of GA, that GA was the best thing that has happened in their life. Good luck, BEST Bucharest! I am looking forward to attending GA and feeling again proud of my LBG!

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,, iustina

When I joined BEST and I heard that our LBG is willing to organise a General Assembly I immediately started to dream about how it could be. I had a tremendous entusiasm and, to my utter surprise, not only that it didn’t diminish during these last 8 months, but, on the contrary, it only raised more and more as new people were getting involved in the process. Having a high level of motivation, I can’t but give my BEST in the next months and eagerly wait for an amazing reunion.

,,Diana

When I first heard about GA I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it was just another BEST acronym that I had to remember. Then I joined the ‘application team’ and did the research for OOD. A thing that is still fresh in my mind searching for OOD locations is when Cepo and I checked out the National Library. I was really nervous, but Cepo confidence in dealing with situations similar to this one assured me that there was nothing to be nervous about. I remember gathering in Georgi’s apartment discussing what is to be done for the application. Just seeing so many BESTies brought together made me thing that GA is more than just a meeting, is a reunion of a extremely large family. Honestly, I can’t wait for GA to take place. I believed it then and I believe it now: It’s going to be LEGENDARY!

,,madi

Never would I have thought, when hearing for the first time the term General Assembly in October 2012, that this event will occupy such a big place in my heart. I never fully understood its importance until LBG Bucharest chose me to go as a delegate to GA Valladolid. Honestly, my view about BEST changed from that moment, and my plans for the future as well. Words can’t explain the feeling of being part of the process, the motivation, the butterflies in my stomach during the presentation, the huge number of friends made, the tension in the voting day, the explosion of joy when hearing the results, the warm welcome from my LBG. Now, almost one year later, I still recall all the good and the bad, and if I had the chance to go back from the start, I would do it! From all the things that will happen in GA Bucharest, it was one that caught my attention and decided to pursue: the 25th Anniversary of BEST. So, if you still haven’t guessed what is my current role in the process, I’m the Anniversary’s Responsible! So, to all of you who were in GA Valladolid: thanks for the wonderful experiences and friendships; and to all of you who will come to GA Bucharest: brace yourselves, the most mind-blowing event (and party) is coming!

,, mada

“

Looking back at the evolution of our LBG from one month before GA Valladolid until now I realize how important is to believe in one dream. Started the preps with only a few, mostly new and inexperienced members and ended with the help of over 50 people, including alumni. After winning the elections, next steps were creating the team, adding the new board and the enthusiastic members (meaning entire LBG). After that, recruiting new members and preparing them for the upcoming event and now working all together to organise General Meeting of BEST. This part, observing the changes and trying to make them happen was, until now, the most interesting and challenging aspect. I don’t believe my perspective is different from any other, there’s not a lot of “inside information” but I think every good news gave me ten times more joy, every fail hit me ten times harder and every threat scared me like hell. In any case, it kept me close to event and motivated… and I love it!

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cepo

Hi, I.m Brindu, the Logistics responsible for GA14. I got involved in the GA 2014 Bucharest project, last year as a baby member. Back then, being the host lbg for this event was only a dream, and being in it’s coreteam never even crossed my mind. Trying to make our dream come true, we decided to make some research and find out how realistic our dream was, so, when being asked who wants to do some research for locations, I volunteered...and after taking the GA, I wanted some more responsability.... so I became the logistics responsible. I think the GA is the most challenging event BEST offers, as it is not only the result of the work of the present lbg, but the result of the work of several generations of BESTies. I can’t wait for the event to come!

“

Brindu

A few months ago I chose to be part of this Great Adventure and I don’t regret a single bit of it! Witnessing how an aspiration is brought to life and grows day by day with our team’s work and efforts is truly impressive. The more people are getting involved and offer their help as we come closer to the event, the more energy and enthusiasm I feel towards my tasks and their results. Since our journey has not come to an end yet, I am happy to have such motivated companions beside me; join us and share our joy in making this experience an unforgettable one!

roxi 10

“

8 months have passed since I took the challenge and entered GA CoreTeam. Now, I thank the old me for taking this decision and writing the ML. It has been a period of continuous learning, development and change and I couldn’t be more proud of what we have accomplished so far. In my opinion the “GA experience” changed us, the LBG, the views we had on BEST and the world, made us stronger and better and I think I talk for each one of us when I say that we don’t know how it will be when it all ends. I will miss the mails, the meetings, the endless tasks, the late night talks, the team… I will miss everything, the bad that made us fight and the good that made us smile!

flavia

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When I applied to be the Official Opening Day Responsible I knew exactly that I had a great challenge ahead of me. I knew this experience will change my perspective upon many things, will help me enhance my own strengths and my decision making process. Some of this things have already improved, some of them require more time, but none of them could have turned to reality without the help of the organising team and all the members that share the same enthusiasm for this event. So far, preparing this event was an adventure and I can’t wait for the participants to arrive to finally see everything in motion.

Cris

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Organising a General Meeting I think it “smells” like a big challenge for every bestie and this is one of the many reasons why I wanted to be the Social Responsible.Why social exactly?Because in this very serious atmosphere of the event,in which a lot of important decisions are made,people still need to relax and have fun,to socialize and get to know each other in order not to forget this time too soon. And if we think a little bit,at the end of the day,this is all about in BEST,isn’t it?Socialize with people,make a lot of friends and most importantly,get as many memories as possible.

axu

best

courses

by MADI Since Spring Courses are waiting for Don’t let the name fool you. If you have their participants, I thought it would be a good idea to talk a bit about BEST Courses, dedicated to all those who hadn’t had the opportunity to participate in such events before.

ever participated in a course before, you should know that between visiting companies, sight-seeing or participating in lectures, you will definitely have a lot of fun, by connecting with people, making friends. Overall, enjoying the Quoting from our BEST site, “students from course. member universities get the opportunity to increase their international experience, Since 1997, LBG Bucharest has organised establish contacts, improve their English 27 BEST Events. Over the years, BESTies and have fun”. Well, I couldn’t agree from Bucharest learnt how to improve more. the quality of their events, making them more fun, but also more academically To begin with, there are 4 BEST seasons: oriented. For almost 6 months, every Winter, Spring, Summer and Autumn. core-team member works hard for the Go figure, right?! Of course, our spirit wanted course to succeed: planning is felt through flexibility, friendship, lectures, taking care of the housing, fun, improvement and learning, in food etc. so that the participants would which more than 10,000 students from have the time of their life. more than 36 countries have already participated in. I bet they have a lot to If you would like to participate for the talk about. first time in a course, take my advice: Oh, and there is more! Students, BESTies Grab the opportunity! You won’t regret and non-BESTies, can participate in a it! As for the experienced ones, spread course based on Technology, Career your wisdom. Related Skills or Applied Engineering. Furthermore, I might add Events on Education, Engineering Competition and Leisure, together with the Courses classified as BEST Events.

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