By Freya Lambert

Manchester Metropolitan University is a university that values the importance of international excursions, to deepen the education of their students. I was lucky enough to experience one of these international trips, with a week’s long competition in Kolding, Denmark from the 7th-11th April 2025.

Myself, Nancy Foxhall and Asante Wheeler (Marketing students) travelled to Kolding, with Business Management students Rachel Jordan, Jonathan Miller and Claas Crome, to compete in two, respective, case competitions: international marketing week and international business week.

This blog will be a depiction of the week’s activities and a look into the skills and knowledge acquired at the end.

International week at the International Business Academy (IBA)

This competition took place at the International Business Academy, with students’ representation from over 30 countries, ranging from Guatemala to Finland. IBA is an institution that prioritises their global outreach, celebrating their own Danish culture and the cultures they interact with during their outreach.

International week at IBA is an annual occurrence, with myself and fellow Manchester Met Marketing students participating in the international marketing week. Despite this week being charactered by a competition, the main purpose of it is to teach students about Danish culture and connect individuals from different nations. This was done through housing the students in apartments, with randomly selected roommates, with the hopes of creating friendships and foster an environment for cultural exchanges.

The itinerary was filled, during this week, with visits to wineries, Viking museums and an evening spent celebrating Chinese culture with traditional Chinese dances and songs. First, it began with an eye-opening talk by a Moldovan academic, who migrated to Denmark 20 years ago, that provided an insight into his perspective on Danish culture. A key takeaway from this talk is that in Denmark, trust and teamwork are key values. This is something that was evident throughout the competition.

The Competition

This competition was a creative brief, that tested teamwork, strategy and creativity skills from the start. Teams were selected at random, combining students from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, to not only work on this brief but learn more about individual cultures. A fun way we did this was through a ‘snack exchange’ where students brought in treats from their country that were popular!

The brief itself revolved around Skærsøgaard winery, with the aim to elevate their brand identity while simultaneously respecting their historic and respected origins. The assignment itself consisted of two elements: an initial pitch of our idea based off consumer and market research, then the final presentation of the creative strategy of our pitch. My team did not win; however, the knowledge and confidence I gained from this experience was worth it, to me!

Wine tasting and a Viking Museum

To kickstart the week, the marketing competition cohort was taken to Jelling, the former capital of Denmark in the Viking era, to explore Viking monuments and learn more about Danish Viking royalty.

This trip was inspiring as it provided an insight into the origins of the current Danish monarchy and fed into the mysterious history of the Vikings. The talk, before we explored the grounds, told the story of the first Viking king, Gorm. Gorm’s story was impressive as he is the first recorded Danish king in history, through his use of carving on stones to mark his reign. The grounds were impressive, featuring two man-made mounds holding many theories about their existence and origin.

As this was a case competition for Skærsøgaard winery, it was only right that we ventured to their home in the Dons region, to learn more about their manufacturing process and aims for their winery. This was a highlight of the trip, as not only did it inform our strategy for the competition, but it shed light on the wine-making process and the intensity that it brings. It was a picturesque winery, with even better wine that we had the chance to sample!

Key takeaways from the week

International marketing week challenged my confidence, teamwork and communication skills, helping to improve them to make me a better student and future marketeer. I was challenged using the collaborative task of executing the creative brief, with my international peers, with the combination of academic theory and creativity. From this, I now have a better understanding of my communication style and the need to evolve it to suit those I’m working with. This is a key skill for my future, in and out of education.

Another key takeaway is the eye-opening experience of submerging myself in another culture. Despite travelling internationally before, this is one of the first times I experienced fully the culture another country has to offer. For example, learning the type of humour the Danish appreciate. This was a new experience and something I want to carry out more on any future international trips, independently or with the university.

Overall, my highlight of this trip was the friendships formed with the other students, through the living situations and extra-curricular activities. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip that I would love to experience again!