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9 March, 2017
On February 15th it was time for the Accounting & Controlling Expedition 2017. For months, the committee put in a lot of effort to create this beautiful event. Promotion was done, the hotel was booked, and all arrangements with the participating companies had been done.
On Wednesday morning 11:30, room DZ03, slowly filled with 24 ambitious students. After a short introduction, we packed our bags and headed to the train station. After just 15 minutes we already lost the first participant. However, once found and with a freshly bought snack, we got in the train to our first destination: Eindhoven.
In Eindhoven we visited the first company of our expedition: Joanknecht & van Zelst. After a short presentation about the company and some inspiring words by one of the customers, it was time for the real thing. In groups of six students, we went to work on a case about internal processes of the customer. Afterwards, we enjoyed an amazing dinner in restaurant Plein 2 with the group and team of Joanknecht & van Zelst. After three delicious courses, it was time to head to the next destination, Amsterdam. In the beautiful Novotel, we ended the day with a small drink.
Thursday started off well with a nice breakfast in the hotel. Dressed ‘Business Casual’ we left for ING. As extra sensation for this expedition, we witnessed a live Greenpeace protest against ING’s Dakota pipeline in front of the ING office. The ING office left a good impression with most of us. No rigid office, like you may expect from a bank, but a modern and creative working environment. We worked on an ING game and learned a lot about ING as a company. The winners of the game received a nice gift for their hard work. We ended the morning with a nice lunch at the office.
We continued the day in Amstelveen, where we visited KPMG’s office. We were all impressed by the huge headquarters of KPMG. They gave a clear and informative presentation about the company in general and some personal experiences of the employees who took part in this day. Afterwards we worked on a (unexpectedly) nice assignment, where every single person had to tell a personal story as good as possible. The group heard a lot of personal experiences and we got to know each other on a different level. As the first day, dinner was catered perfectly. This time, in the form of a cooking workshop in the heart of Amsterdam. After putting on the cooking apron, everyone prepared their own course full of enthusiasm. It took about 1,5 hours cooking with your team, after which the courses where served one by one. We ended the day, again, with a drink in the hotel.
The next morning there was a small problem. The hotel’s alarms did not go off, this meant many of us had to get ready in record time to make it to our next destination in the south of the country. In Breda we visited our fourth company: de Belastingdienst. Here as well, we had a very educational morning and got a good idea about working at the Belastingdienst. After a great lunch at their office it was time to visit the final destination of our expedition: BDO in Tilburg. At BDO’s office, one of the partners created insight into working at BDO. He even was so excited that he largely explained everything that was in the recruiter’s presentation! BDO also showed us a look behind the scenes at one of their most interesting customers, football club Willem II. At the stadium we worked on a case with the group, specifically focussed on the club. While enjoying a drink and a snack in the skybox, we ended the day and the expedition in a perfect way.
To summarize, it was 3 days filled with educational and fun moments. The amazingly motivated students who participated have made this event a great success. The atmosphere was perfect and everyone has been able to orient future career paths in a great way. I want to thank the committee and our coordinator for everything they have done. Because of their hard work, we were able to realize this event. I can say that the Accounting & Controlling Expedition 2017 was a success!
