Know how Accenture Strategy Connect 2021 came to a magnificent end!

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Accenture launched a sporting event, Accenture Strategy Connect 2021, from 9th August to 21st August, 2021, under the tagline "turning crises into opportunities" to provide a platform to full-time graduate and engineering students from selected campuses to chart their best course to grab a firm hold of the future.

For the year 2021, Accenture decided to focus on the key theme - ‘Signals of change'. The company's aim was not only to share insights but also to inspire young minds to think differently and act accordingly.

At Strategy Connect, students joined Accenture’s top leaders on how they are assisting drive enduring transformations for the world’s leading organizations. They also got to interact with women leaders in strategy and consulting, asked questions on what all changes are businesses incorporating to become future-ready, played the Guesstimates game, and competed with each other to make it to the top of the leaderboard to win amazing prizes.

This article is an attempt to share some insights into what went behind this year’s Accenture Strategy Connect 2021 and why should you participate in the next one. We hope this will help you prepare better for other similar challenges!

What is Accenture Strategy Connect?

Accenture is amongst the globally leading professional services company with paramount capabilities in digital, cloud, and security. With the fusion of unparalleled experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, it proffers Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology, and Operations services — all fueled by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. 

The company conducted this year's Strategy Connect challenge via Unstop (formerly Dare2Compete)Platform that witnessed 5,261 registrations. The theme “Signals of change" implied that every company has been through some kind of transformation or disruption in recent years, and these disruptions are happening faster now due to rapid technological advancements. As a result, companies need to be prepared for any type of disruptive innovations coming up in the near future. So, it's imperative to highlight the importance of being able to identify signals of change and respond appropriately.

Structure, Stages, and Timelines

The entire event spanned for three days and the students who registered early for the program had the opportunity to proceed directly into the grand quiz master round. For the direct entry, two candidates were selected by a random draw. All the registered participants came together for a face-off on the day of the pre-event where they had to play a quiz on business trivia to assess their business awareness and understanding.

Day 1: Signals of Change

The selected students were invited to listen and learn from Accenture leaders on Business Strategy 101. They got to hear amazing stories from campus to corporate and were presented with a chance to get inspired by their women disruptors in the Strategy and Consulting domain. Then, the candidates participated in the Guesstimates challenge – an assessment of their ability to comprehend a complex business problem, break it down into smaller chunks, analyze them, and put forward an effective and feasible solution.

A total of 7 guesstimate questions were asked of participants in 30 minutes. The top ten students won vouchers worth INR 5,000.

Day 2: Gamechangers

Packed with experimental learnings, the second day was brimming with fun and impact! The highlight of the day was a special session by global leaders who shared their insights on technological upheavals in Strategy and Consulting. Participants got to be a part of the Change-makers Challenge simulation as they learned about various skills- perfecting their pitch, conceiting over work-streams, and establishing mechanisms.

The simulation put them in an environment where they could live the life of a strategist and was required to make decisions for their client based on environmental changes. Players who booked profits for their company won exclusive prizes! The top ten winners bagged vouchers worth INR 10,000.

Day 3: Embrace the change

On the basis of the cumulative scores of the pre-event challenge along with the Day-1, and Day-2 rounds, eight students were selected for this last event. With two additional wild card entries from the earlier lucky draw, a total of ten students got the chance to participate in a live quiz with a renowned quizmaster, Gautam Bose, on the last day of the event.

The top ten Day-3 Quiz Finalists secured a pre-placement interview with Accenture for a job or internship as per their eligibility while the top three Grand Finale winners were presented with a gizmo goodie bag!

In addition to the main track sessions, there were several side events such as panel discussions, workshops, networking activities, etc., where students could get hands-on experience about various aspects of strategic thinking and consulting. It indeed proved to be a wholesome learning experience for all the engineering students who participated in this event. 

 Heartiest congratulations to all the winners!