Mixing business with pleasure – field trip and site visit to companies in Split

By Tetiana Kulbaka

April 19, 2019

With the final exams fast approaching and signaling the near end of the academic year, the RIT Croatia Dubrovnik campus presented its students with the opportunity to mix business with pleasure. On April 12th the HTM students, as well as the WMC students, had a chance to partake in the field trip to Split and visit some of the companies related to their major. It is important to mention that all of the expenses were covered by the university so that the students could freely enjoy the one-day edutainment vacation. The students were accompanied by the Alumni Relations and International Student Office Manager Petra Vodopija Borković.

We set off early in the morning and around 10 a.m. we arrived in Split. Our IT students started their Split exploration from the IT company "Extension Engine". As for HTM students, our first point of destination was "Radisson Blu" in Split. And as far as I am studying Hospitality Management, I will share the details of our hotel visit first. We were warmly greeted by the representatives of "Radisson Blu" Mr. Michael Caspar, General manager, and Mrs. Sandra Čanić, HR Manager, and escorted through the facilities as well as the premises of the hotel. Being the social network's generation, the first thing we spotted was the instagrammable deck that unveiled the beautiful view of the mountains and turquoise sea. But little did we know what an acquaintance was waiting for us. The General Manager of "Radisson Blu", Mr. Michael Caspar, was supposed to give us a small introduction of the recently organized management training program. But instead, we had a chance to listen to Mr. Caspar's passionate talk on all of the experiences he has ever gone through and realize how adventurous his professional journey was. To be honest, I have never seen such an engagement of students. They were genuinely impressed by Mr. Caspar and were eager to ask him questions. One of my colleagues asked about some guidelines that Mr. Caspar would suggest following in order to succeed in the hospitality industry. He said that his advice may seem old-fashioned, but I truly believe it is still all the rage: "Work on yourself. Use every day to become more responsible, reliable, punctual and organized". But for me, the most appealing part of that talk was Mr. Caspar's point of keeping in mind the importance of staying a human regardless of the position. Even though he has a lot on his plate, he manages to find time in order to go and personally greet some of the housekeeping workers. Mr. Caspar believes that these small gestures are the key to establishing a favorable working atmosphere and gaining respect among colleagues.

And coming back to the initiative of "Radisson Blu" to organize the management training program, I think the best way to sum it up and promote it is to share Mr. Caspar's final advice: "It is impossible to become a manager overnight; but even if it happens, people will recognize the fraud. One should get as much experience as possible and have no fear of "dirty work". And then success will follow".

 

While we went on with the exploration of the "Radisson Blu" premises, our IT students also had some fun at the Extension Engine”, where Mr. Hrvoje Udiljak, HR Specialist welcomed them and showed them around the company. After the company visit, students had a chance to listen to 5 short presentations on current projects and developments going on in "Extension Engine”. But the highlight of this visit was the friendly atmosphere that existed between the company employees and our students. Our students were treated to a meal over which they had a chance to socialize and establish some useful connections.

 

After that, we reunited with the IT students and set off to explore the "Le Meridien Lav".  We were warmly welcomed by the Director of Human Resources Igor Leben, who gave us a lecture on the topic of "Doing Business International Way". Mr. Leben has also shared with us some insightful ideas on how managers, as well as employees, can assess their performance and thus identify certain gaps that may need some improvement. In addition, we got some guidelines on how to create the best presentable version of the resume that will definitely attract the potential employer's attention. But what I remembered the most is Mr. Leben`s advice concerning the job interview: "Never try to sell the version of yourself, that you can not live up to in reality. Just be yourself!" I think, following this simple advice of Mr. Leben and staying genuine will definitely help students to get the most successful outcome in their future interviews.

Once the presentation was over, we were given a tour of the "Le Meridien Lav" premises that was held by Mr. Ozren Kovačević, Account Director. We had a chance to see the smallest and the biggest room of the hotel; explore the banquet area and a spa zone. It was a truly historic moment, as far as the profound renovation of the hotel will take place this November. Luckily, we were privileged to explore it before the works start.

Before we hit the road, we had a chance to enjoy Split for a couple more minutes, drinking coffee in a café over viewing "Le Meridien Lav” marina. All in all, we had a great day full of insightful moments, new acquaintances, new career possibilities and ideas. We came back filled with new energy and motivation to grow and achieve new professional heights.

I am immensely happy to be the student of RIT Croatia and partake in such useful events!