XLRI Jamshedpur Team Emerges Victorious At Perfetti Confy Challenge 2023

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Perfetti Van Melle is the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of confectionery and chewing gum. With their exciting products and brands, the company has spread their reach to over 150 countries worldwide. So when we heard of Perfetti Van Melle India's Perfetti Confy Challenge 2023, we knew we had to be a part of it. Our fondness for marketing had brought the three of us together, and Confy Challenge seemed as the best platform to think big and bring our best ideas forward! But we never thought we would end up winning the competition. 

In this article, we will share how we prepared and approached Perfetti Confy Challenge 2023. But before that, let's give you a quick overview of the competition structure.

 Perfetti Confy Challenge 2023: Structure

The competition was open to second-year MBA students from selected institutes. There were two tracks- Commercial and Operations. The rounds were as follows: 

This was a team event and students had to register themselves in teams of 2-3. Our team - Mavericks, consisted of 3 members- Deepanshi Narula, Raghuvansh Dev, and Sagar Garg, and we registered for the commercial track. All three of us are from XLRI Jamshedpur. 

How it all started: Our Strategy 

Our problem statement was related to the gaming industry. So, to begin with, we found gamers around us and discussed their perspective on gaming and how it can be brought together with the confectionery industry.

We started with a week of primary and secondary research and finally reached the segment we wanted to tap into. To come up with the solution, we together brainstormed many creative ideas. Working in a team was a tremendous experience for us. We all brought our strengths to the table, and our synergy made us a complete unit. The competition made us better friends and healthy critiques of each other's work. We did have conflicts during the ideation phase, but we respected each other's opinions. The conflicts helped us to get better ideas. 

Playing on our team's strength

Every team has a USP. Our team's forte was the diverse expertise of its members. One member brought deep marketing knowledge, allowing us to craft effective strategies. Another offered financial acumen, ensuring sound budgeting and resource allocation. The third team member contributed creative skills, enhancing our problem-solving and communication. Together, our main strength was our ability to thoroughly understand the problem statement. This understanding enabled us to approach challenges holistically, leveraging our combined strengths to drive innovation and deliver well-rounded solutions.

Race to the Finale

We had to compete with several talented teams in the first two rounds. Finally, 12 teams made it to the finale. All the teams gave excellent presentations, and we got exposed to some fantastic ideas. The team from IIM Mumbai especially presented a powerful model for the Operations Track, and we remember discussing how their modeling was really impressive. This IIM Mumbai team bagged the First-Runner-Up position under the 'Operations Track.'

Speaking of the judgment, we could see how involved the jury was in each presentation. It was also evident from the kind of questions that the jury asked from each team. It reflected their keen interest in new ideas and their appreciation for creativity. The inputs given by the jury were also insightful. 

Journey full of learnings

Perfetti Confy Challenge was an enriching journey for us. The most important learning for us was the value of teamwork. We learnt each of our strengths and weaknesses and worked accordingly. We also grasped the nitty gritties of the market and how to ideate a strategy keeping the evolving external environment in mind.

Perfetti Confy Challenge will always be special to us. We still remember our running around the campus, finding ideal spots for shooting, and presenting our idea as best as we could! We will always cherish these special memories. 

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