“Best things in life happen unexpectedly”

This quote by British philosopher Eli Khamarov perfectly suits the experience my friends and me had during the St. Gallen Symposium.

It should have been one of the ordinary days in my friend’s and my lives when we were heading to library at the University of St. Gallen. However, on our way we were invited by an ISC member to join the St. Gallen Symposium as volunteers. By that time, we did not know that we were going to become part of an exceptionally fantastic event.

It was an honor for my friends and me to participate as volunteers in this annual conference held in May. The St. Gallen Symposium hosts cross-generational dialogues that bring together the decision makers from today and from tomorrow. These two groups debate on recent economic, political, and social developments. One of the reasons that makes the symposium so special is the support and hard work of a team of 500 volunteers, and undoubtedly this event would not be the same without them. These wonderful people dedicate hours of their time to assist Symposium staff and attendees in various capacities, from helping with registration to staffing the media center to assisting with logistics for the almost 150 speakers.

The 500 volunteers are distributed in 5 different groups and are responsible for distinct work. These groups are: Communication; – where supporters are responsible to ensure that the symposium is well perceived from outside. Food & Beverage; – it is the team which is responsible for the culinary part of the event. Innovation & Technology; – As part of this team you are responsible for the technical equipment’s proper functioning during the Symposium. Meanwhile, you have the unique opportunity to attend the symposium’s sessions. Technical Operations team: – which is responsible for turning the entire university campus into the symposium site. Participants’ Services – In this area you are part of the group that first get in touch with the participants.

Being a member of each of these groups is a great opportunity to acquire new experience, advance your skills, connect with new people. My friends and me were selected for the group of communications after we signed up to become the volunteers of the Symposium. However, we were responsible for different things which made it possible to perceive how diverse two experiences can be during the event. For example, I was responsible for writing articles about different aspects of symposium, which significantly developed my writing skills. This enabled me to hone one of the most decisive skills for my profession as an international lawyer.

In the meantime, my friend was responsible for interviews and videography which gave the platform to showcase his videography and editing skills, all the while giving him the opportunity to network with dignitaries such as CEOs, Leaders of Tomorrow, and participants of imminence. However, the takeaway he held closest to heart was the camaraderie and affinity developed between him and his team members.

In addition to gaining skills which are useful for our careers, volunteers have the wonderful opportunity to meet a lot of interesting people from all over of the world.

As an example: Tobias Wintergerste who was a volunteer for the participants’ service group shared his experience during the symposium. He said that the symposium gave him a chance to meet leaders of the world, establish communication with them and get their advice regarding several topics. He specifically mentioned that daily contact with the symposium participants grew his self-confidence and communication skills.

The St. Gallen Symposium undoubtedly has a great effect on a students’ professional careers as their social lives, since it allows us to ideally develop such skills as making attention on details, public speaking, communication and working under the pressure.

To conclude my report, I would like to refer again to the quote at the beginning, because as I mentioned before, I had no idea what the St. Gallen Symposium was and suddenly I was a part of this unique event and was able to broaden my horizons and make many new friends.